Case 3: Knee injury following 7.7m fall from height through trap door

Organisation

A leading food producer in the UK and Ireland, with 19 operating sites across the UK and Ireland specialising in chilled, bakery and frozen food production, with a workforce of 11,500 people.

Accident

Accident occurred to 55 year old male employee in June 2006. The worker fell 7.7m through a trap door sustaining multiple injuries, he was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment but was not admitted.

Intervention

OHA was notified in June 2006. The injured worker was complaining of back, knee and ankle pains and was referred to physiotherapy following advice from his GP. An initial assessment took place in August 2006 immediately followed by a one-month course of physiotherapy which highlighted the left knee was slow to respond and required further investigation.

OHA arranged for a private orthopaedic consultation in September 2006. A medial meniscal tear was suspected and an MRI scan arranged which confirmed a small tear of the lateral meniscus and a Grade I injury to the medial collateral ligament and some degenerative changes of the patella. No surgery was indicated, instead further physiotherapy was suggested and arranged. The employee returned to his normal job at work after 12 weeks.

Cost of treatment and savings

£1226 for physiotherapy, orthopaedic consultation, follow up and MRI scan.

Return to work occurred up to 14 months earlier than if the OHA had not been involved (up to 4 months in relation to orthopaedic consultation, 6-8 months in relation to the MRI scan and up to 2 months by arranging physiotherapy on a private basis). No claim against the company was intimated.