A 69 year old cashier at a Roadchef motorway service station has received £36,000 in workplace injury compensation for injuries received during an attempted robbery. Roadchef admitted that it has not ensured a safe working environment. The incident took place in March 2008 when three hooded youths attempted to steal money from the cashier’s till. The cashier tried to uncover the youth so that his face would be caught on closed-circuit television. The cashier fell to the ground and hurt her knee in the resulting struggle. Another cashier shut the till and the robbers left with nothing. The victim needed injections for pain and physiotherapy and eventually retired under medical advice.
She needed steroid injections to help with the pain in her knee, had to undergo physiotherapy, and also suffers from arthritis.
The case demonstrates the need for employers to protect workers from potential violence. The entire incident was probably avoidable with a proper risk assessment and robbery counter measures
