THE TIMES - 22 MARCH 2006

'FLATULENT CHAIR' AT BOTTOM OF TEACHER'S SEX BIAS CLAIM

The deputy head of a large comprehensive was forced to sit in a chair that made rude noises every time she moved, an employment tribunal was told yesterday.

Sue Storer, 48, claims that her requests for a new chair were repeatedly ignored and that she was "victimised, harassed and bullied" because she was a woman. Mrs Storer told the tribunal that her two joint deputy heads, who were both men, were given new "executive" chairs without having to ask, whereas she continually had to apologise to pupils, parents and other teachers for the noises.

She resigned from her £48,000-a-year post at Bedminster Down Secondary School in Bristol and is claiming more than £1 million, based on lost earnings and loss of pension, against Bristol City Council for constructive dismissal and sex discrimination.  

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

At first glance this claim - £1 million for a "farting chair" - appears ridiculous. However read the story again and other glaring issues become apparent. For example:

If these questions have raised alarm bells in your head; if you're wondering exactly what the statutory procedures are for dealing with grievance and disciplinary issues; if performing a risk assessment when a new member of staff joins your business wouldn't have occurred to you; or if you have no idea what an equal opportunities policy should say, let alone have one; then you need Beprofessional today!

TUC RISKS NEWSLETTER - 4 MARCH 2006

WORKER GETS £33,750 FOR BOUNCY CASTLE INJURY

A youth centre worker accused by his employer of faking a back injury has been awarded £33,000 in compensation in a union-backed case.

UNISON member Dean Gibbon, 51, received the payout from Durham County Council after being injured putting away a deflated bouncy castle. The Judge at Newcastle Crown Court found his employer was in breach of Manual Handling Regulations and was negligent because it had failed to adopt a safe system, outlined in an earlier memo, which stated that the job should never be done single-handed. This instruction was also supported by a risk assessment.

METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF ROCHDALE - 24 JANUARY 2006

SHOPOWNER PROSECUTED FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY FAULTS

A Middleton business has been fined just over £9000 for a number of serious health and safety offences at a Costcutter franchise, Grimshaw Lane , Middleton.

Mr Paresh Parekh, owner of the business, which now trades under the Bargain Booze franchise, pleaded guilty today at Rochdale Magistrates Court to four offences under health and safety legislation.

The prosecution was taken following repeat offences witnessed on four separate occasions by health and safety officers from Rochdale Council. Mr Parekh failed to take basic precautions to protect members of the public and his employees whilst major building work was being carried out and he ignored warnings from officers.

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

Ignoring health and safety can lead directly to physical injury and financial loss, not to mention damage to reputation and potential loss of custom.

Beprofessional provides a step-by-step guide to basic health and safety compliance, enabling you to confidently produce risk assessments and get to grips with the legal requirements placed on a business owner.

Safe practices will keep your business healthy!

THE TIMES - 15 MARCH 2006

WHITE MAN WINS PAYOUT OVER POLICE JOB RACE BIAS

A police force that broke sex and race discrimination laws with its recruitment policy has paid an undisclosed sum to a disappointed job applicant who was rejected solely because he was a white man.

Avon and Somerset police discarded nearly 200 applications from young white men after a recruitment drive last year to give greater opportunity to women and ethnic minority candidates. It claimed that white males were "over-represented" on the force.

Colin Port , the Chief Constable, admitted last week that it had been unlawful for the force to select applicants solely on the grounds of race and sex.

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

The minute you start to describe a job role, or picture the perfect person to fill the vacancy, you are in danger of falling foul of a host of discrimination regulations. If you don't want to pay a person before they've done a stroke of work for you, then use Beprofessional to create:

When it comes to positive discrimination, your intentions might be the best but your working practices must still comply.