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Aldi Employee Coronavirus Related Compensation Claims Against An Aldi Supermarket – COVID-19 Due To Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

I Caught Coronavirus Because Of A Lack Of PPE, Could I Claim Against Aldi?

It’s fair to say that the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has had an unprecedented effect on daily life. There have been restrictions placed upon the movement of people around the world. In the UK, one of the only reasons you’re allowed to leave your home is to purchase essential shopping. Of course, for that to happen, supermarkets need to be open and have staff available to work. To help keep staff safe, supermarkets implemented several changes to how they operate. This includes limiting customer numbers, social distancing measures and providing staff with personal protective equipment (PPE). In this guide, we’re going to look at when employees of Aldi could claim after contracting coronavirus due to a lack of PPE. We’ll look at what could lead to an Aldi coronavirus claim, why an employer might be liable and when compensation could be claimed.

Employee coronavirus claims against an Aldi supermarket guide

Here at Legal Expert, we support anyone considering a personal injury claim by offering free legal advice and a no-obligation assessment of your claim. Furthermore, if your claim is strong enough, we could refer you to a personal injury lawyer who’ll provide a No Win, No Fee service.

If you’d like to discuss an Aldi coronavirus claim today, please call 0800 073 8804 for free claims advice.

Alternatively, to find out more about supermarket coronavirus claims, please continue reading.

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A Guide To Employee Coronavirus Related Claims Against Aldi Supermarkets

To be eligible to make an Aldi coronavirus claim, you must have a confirmed case of coronavirus (medical records can be used as evidence to prove this) which can be shown to have been caused by a breach of health and safety regulations. Also, you’ll need to be able to demonstrate that you caught coronavirus while at work and not somewhere else. You must also begin your claim within the personal injury claims time limit of 3-years. As you can see, this type of claim can be complex. That’s why we advise having a personal injury specialist on your side.

During the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it has become clear how reliant we are on supermarkets. For a while, the government recommended buying groceries online and having them delivered. It soon became clear that most supermarkets couldn’t fulfil the volume of orders and started prioritising vulnerable customers for delivery slots. As a result, supermarkets had to introduce new measures to try and ensure customers could buy essentials and to do so as safely as possible.

These measures vary from store to store but include:

  • Closing early to allow re-stocking.
  • Providing store staff with gloves, masks and hand sanitizers.
  • Promoting physical distancing measures.

In this guide, we’ll look at when you could sue Aldi because you’ve contracted coronavirus due to a lack of PPE. While the pandemic is a new phenomenon, employers still have a duty of care to ensure staff safety wherever possible. This includes conducting regular risk assessments and taking steps to reduce any potential danger. Therefore, if a lack of coronavirus PPE or physical distancing has caused you to contract the virus, your employer could have breached their duty of care, meaning you might be eligible to claim compensation.

What Personal Protective Equipment Should Aldi Provide Staff?

While much of the COVID-19 PPE advice provided by government organisations has been aimed at medical and social care staff, it still has a role to play in reducing coronavirus in supermarkets. As there has not been a definitive list of what PPE should be provided, we’ve put together a list of what you might expect your employer to supply. These include:

  • Gloves.
  • Face masks.
  • Eye protection.
  • Aprons.
  • Protective screens at checkouts.

Again, this list isn’t an official list of what an employer is required to provide. However, if you believe PPE could help reduce the risk of catching coronavirus in your workplace, you should discuss your concerns with your employer. If they fail to provide PPE, and you suffer a confirmed case of COVID-19, you could ask a personal injury solicitor if you’re eligible to claim compensation.

If you’d like to discuss whether you’re eligible to claim compensation or not, please call an advisor today. We’ll assess your claim for free and let you know if it’s viable.

What Are Your Rights If You Can’t Work Due To COVID-19?

As the coronavirus pandemic began to spread, the government took steps to try and make sure people understood their rights if they were unable to work because of self-isolation. In most cases, the government has instructed that you should only go into work if you’re unable to work from home. Obviously, for many supermarket employees, this isn’t possible. However, there have also been instructions on when you can’t work because of self-isolation.

Generally, there are two reasons for self-isolation: because you have symptoms of COVID-19 or because somebody you live with has. The rules on being paid while off sick will vary from company to company. However, the government has provided some new guidelines to cover those affected. This means that employers can pay statutory sick pay (SSP) of £94.25 per week if you’re off ill from the first day of your absence.

The new regulations also implemented SSP for those who are not ill but isolating because somebody else in the household is. To prove that you are isolating because of medical advice to do so, you can obtain an isolation note online from the NHS.

What Personal Protective Equipment Considerations Should Aldi Take?

As part of their duty of care, Aldi will have risk assessed their workplaces to decide what PPE is required. As the coronavirus pandemic spread, employers will have used government advice to prepare special methods of working to reduce the risks involved. This might be at a head office level or in individual stores. When coming up with new regulations it’s important that they are easily available so that managers can train staff quickly.

Some of the steps supermarkets might take to reduce risks to staff include:

  • Implementing card only payments to avoid cash contaminating staff.
  • Provide till staff with face masks, protective screens and hand sanitisers.
  • Reducing the number of customers in-store at any one time.
  • Closing stores early to allow for extra cleaning.

Also, they could review the list of employees deemed vulnerable to the virus, such as those over 70 or those with health conditions such as asthma, to ensure they’re not coming to work and exposing themselves to risk.

What Personal Protective Equipment Considerations Should Aldi Take?

As part of their duty of care, Aldi will have risk assessed their workplaces to decide what PPE is required. As the coronavirus pandemic spread, employers will have used government advice to prepare special methods of working to reduce the risks involved. This might be at a head office level or in individual stores. When coming up with new regulations it’s important that they are easily available so that managers can train staff quickly.

Some of the steps supermarkets might take to reduce risks to staff include:

  • Implementing card only payments to avoid cash contaminating staff.
  • Provide till staff with face masks, protective screens and hand sanitisers.
  • Reducing the number of customers in-store at any one time.
  • Closing stores early to allow for extra cleaning.

Also, they could review the list of vulnerable in society, such as the over 70s, to ensure they’re not coming to work and self-isolating.

Personal Protective Equipment For Customer-Facing Staff

It’s important that those staff who come into contact with large numbers of customers are protected where possible. Therefore, staff who operate tills or customer service desks could be protected by:

  • Only taking card payments.
  • Fitting protective screens to provide a barrier between customers and staff.
  • Providing adequate hand sanitiser.
  • Providing face masks if protective screens aren’t possible.
  • Marking lines on the floor to ensure customers don’t stand within 2 meters of the till operator.

These are just some potential steps that could be taken to protect customer-facing staff. It’s not government advice or a legal requirement to carry these particular steps out. However, as mentioned earlier, an employer does have a duty of care to try and ensure staff are safe whenever possible.

Personal Protective Equipment For Distribution Staff

Distribution staff probably won’t come into contact with others as regularly as other staff in a supermarket, but they will be moving large volumes of stock which will have been handled by others. This has the potential to allow the spread of droplets which contain coronavirus. Therefore, it might be a good idea for protective equipment for staff working in distribution to include gloves and aprons. Also, staff in distribution areas should ensure social distancing measures are adhered to.

Personal Protective Equipment For Cleaning Staff

Cleaning staff could be particularly vulnerable to infection if they’re cleaning areas where infected staff or customers have been. Therefore, it might be prudent to provide them with extra PPE such as face and eye protection as well as gloves, aprons and hand sanitizers.

As well as equipment, the risk of infection for cleaning staff might be reduced by allowing them to clean while the area is cordoned off to customers or while the store is closed.

Claims If Your Employer Did Not Provide Proper Instruction In Using PPE

An important factor about PPE is that it has to be used correctly. If it’s not, it could fail to protect you. For instance, even when wearing protective gloves, if you touch your face, eyes or mobile phone while wearing the gloves, you can cross-contaminate. This means when the gloves are removed, you could still be carrying traces of COVID-19.

Other training that can be provided is to ensure that face masks are fitted correctly and not touched while being used.

Therefore, employers must ensure they train staff on the correct use of PPE before it’s used. If you believe you could make an Aldi coronavirus claim because you weren’t trained on how to use PPE, please get in touch today.

Calculating Employee Coronavirus Compensation Claims Against Aldi

We’ve now looked at how COVID-19 could lead to an Aldi coronavirus claim so we’re going to move on to compensation amounts. Generally, compensation packages are made up of two parts: general and special damages. We’ll cover general damages in this section and special damages in the next.

General damages are used to compensate you for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity caused by your injuries. They’re based on the severity of the injury. So, for instance, if coronavirus caused you mild symptoms, like a persistent cough, you’d receive less compensation than somebody who was hospitalised and required ventilation.

You may have seen a personal injury compensation calculator before. We find they can be tricky to use, so instead, we’ve included a table setting out compensation amounts for injuries we feel are relevant. You may suffer differently, but you could still claim even if your symptoms aren’t listed.

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Claim Type Compensation Notes
Lungs £51,420 to £65,710 This category covers diseases which cause worsening and significant lung fucntion along with impaired breathing, prolonged coughing, sleep disturbance. It will also affect employment and physical activity.
Lungs £19,510 to £29,380 Bronchtis and wheezing where the symptoms are not serious but with varying levels of anxiousness about the future.
Lungs £9,990 to £19,510 Some slight breathlessness but without any impact on work and permanent recovery within 2 years.
Lungs £2,070 to £5,000 Temporary chest problems which resolve within a few months.

To try and ensure you receive the right level of compensation, your personal injury lawyer will need to prove the extent of your suffering. As part of the claims process, a solicitor from our panel will, as part of your claim, arrange a local medical assessment by an independent doctor. They will provide a report which explains what injuries you sustained, their impact and whether you’ll suffer in the future.

Along with the doctor’s report, your solicitor could use medical records from your GP or the hospital you were treated in to help demonstrate your level of suffering. You are allowed to ask for your medical records at any point.

Special Damages Your Claim Against Aldi May Include

Special damages are paid to compensate you for any financial losses caused by your suffering. There are many different elements which could be claimed. Your solicitor will work with you to determine which elements are relevant in your case. Some examples of special damages include:

  • Medical Expenses.
    While you’re suffering the symptoms of COVID-19 you might need to pay for prescriptions. Therefore, you could ask for these costs back. The same is true of over the counter medications.
  • Travel Costs.
    If you incurred fuel costs attending a hospital or required check-ups with your GP after you’d recovered, you could claim back any fuel or parking costs.
  • Care Costs.
    In some cases, while recovering from an illness, you’ll need to be looked after by a carer. Therefore, any fees involved could be claimed back. With COVID-19, this is more likely to be a family member who looks after you. Therefore, their time might be something that could be claimed for.
  • Lost Earnings.
    While you are off work, if you only receive statutory sick pay in line with the government’s coronavirus strategy, you could be entitled to claim back any lost income. If the symptoms cause you any long-term problems which affect your ability to work, you could be entitled to claim for future lost income too.

In some cases, you might claim for loss of benefits too. That could be the case if you’re off work and your pension contributions reduce.

To prove a special damages claim, you’ll need to prove your financial losses. To do so, you can use receipts, bank statements and also wage slips. We also advise you to keep a diary of spending so that you can remember why an expense was linked to your suffering.

No Win, No Fee Employee Coronavirus Claims Against An Aldi Supermarket

When considering an Aldi coronavirus claim, you might be put off by the costs of hiring a solicitor or legal team. You don’t need to worry though as our solicitors offer a No Win, No Fee service to allow people the chance to pursue compensation without worrying about the financial risks of doing so.

Your solicitor will begin by assessing your claim. They need to do this to check it’s viable and there’s a chance of a successful outcome. If they believe the claim is valid, they’ll give you a No Win, No Fee agreement to sign. The legal name for the document is a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).

Within the CFA, you’ll find information confirming that there are no upfront fees to pay. Also, it’ll explain that there is nothing to pay during the claim and if the solicitor fails to win the case, you don’t have to pay their fees.

If they do win the case, your solicitor may seek a small contribution toward their fees. This is known as a success fee and would be deducted from the compensation you are awarded at the end of the claim. The success fee is limited by law and you’ll know what percentage you’ll pay right from the beginning of the claim.

If you are considering making a claim, please call to find out if you could do so on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Why Choose Our Team To Handle Your Claim?

We’d like to help you make your Aldi coronavirus claim. Here is some information about Legal Expert and how we could help you claim:

  • We provide free legal advice about the claims process. There’s no obligation to proceed but we hope you’ll consider using us if you find the information helpful.
  • Our claims line is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
  • We offer a live chat facility so you can ask any questions online.
  • Some of the solicitors on our panel have been specialising in personal injury claims for over 30-years.
  • You’ll receive regular updates from your solicitor throughout the case. They’ll advise you of the claims process and explain any legal jargon clearly.
  • Our solicitors always try to ensure you receive the maximum level of compensation for your suffering.

If you’d like more information about how Legal Expert could help you, please contact an advisor today. If you’d like to read some reviews from previous clients, please click here

Start Your Coronavirus Claim Against Aldi

We hope that you’ve found our guide on Aldi coronavirus claims helpful. We also hope that you’ve decided to make a claim using Legal Expert. If that’s true, here are the best ways to contact us:

  • You can call our team of specialist advisors on 0800 073 8804.
  • We provide a live chat facility so you can discuss your claim online at any time.
  • You could send details of your claim in an email to info@legalexpert.co.uk.
  • Finally, if you’d prefer us to call you back at a convenient time, please complete our online enquiry form.

The claims process begins when you get in touch. We’ll start by listening to what happened, how you were affected and who you think is to blame. Then we’ll review the evidence you have to support your claim. If the advisor believes you could have a valid case, they’ll refer you to a personal injury solicitor. Should they agree to take your claim on, it’ll be on a No Win, No Fee basis. Remember, any advice we offer is free and you’re under no obligation to make a claim. Therefore, you’ve got nothing to lose by calling Legal Expert today.

Essential References

You’ve now come to the end of this guide regarding compensation claims for supermarket staff because they’ve contracted coronavirus due to a lack of personal protective equipment. To provide further help, we’ve linked to some more of our guides as well as some external resources regarding coronavirus.

Coronavirus Information – This is the government’s hub providing the latest information and guidelines regarding restrictions in place due to coronavirus.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Information, also from the government, on the types of personal protective equipment required in different scenarios.

Coronavirus Advice – This is the NHS’s guide to coronavirus. It explains the symptoms of the virus, when to self-isolate and special instructions for high-risk members of society.

Supermarket Accident Claims – Information on when staff, or customers, can claim for injuries caused in supermarket accidents.

Inadequate PPE Claims – This guide explains when you could claim compensation because you’ve been injured at work due to a lack of, or ineffective, PPE.

Aldi Accident Claims – A guide which looks at the types of accident within an Aldi supermarket which could lead to a compensation claim.

 

Written by Hambridge

Edited by Billing