The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
£170k awarded to injured teachers
Teachers injured at work by accident or assault were awarded nearly £170,000 compensation this year.
The figure represents the total amount of compensation settlements to teaching staff across Scotland, secured by union reps at the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS).
Payments were awarded for a wide range of workplace injuries, including assaults in classrooms, slipping on ice, tripping over wires and falling as a result of slippery flooring.
The top individual settlement was in relation to a teacher being assaulted in class, with the claimant being awarded £38,777.
The second and third highest settlements were for £30,000 and £14,137 respectively, after teachers received injury following an accident – one in a classroom and the other when two doors collided.
David Baxter, EIS rep for Dundee, said: “The caveat is that while these awards look big, no one would trade their health for money.
“Where awards have been made, it’s because there has been a serious level of personal injury.”
He added that the vast majority of accidents the EIS deals with are “foreseeable” and he is calling for a reduction in the number of incidents.
Mr Baxter said: “We want to see investment in schools – all these things are always down to a lack of investment, whether that’s through cleaning, maintenance or violence at work which is down to not having resources; teachers; support workers; enough buildings.
“We need physical resources as well as human resources, that’s what makes the difference.”
The total figure of injury compensation represents a significant decrease on the previous year’s figure of £700,000.
However, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan says his “clear preference” would be to see these types of injuries eliminated entirely from schools, colleges and universities.
Mr Flanagan said: “The most common cause of injuries remains slips, trips and falls.
“These types of incidents are entirely avoidable with correct adherence to appropriate health and safety procedures in the workplace.”
And he says that assaults on teachers are also a “recurring problem” which must be dealt with appropriately by local authorities and police where necessary.
There were 843 reported incidents of abuse towards teachers from pupils in Dundee schools throughout the last academic year, 659 in Angus schools and in Perth that figure stood at 597.
The figures above were reported amid growing concerns that the rising amount of violence in classrooms was being “normalised”.
Mr Flanagan added: “Teaching professionals should have the right to expect a safe working place, and to be properly supported by their employers where issues related to their safety do arise.
“All employers have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment for their employees in order to protect both their physical and mental health.”