The WRC found that an employer ignored a worker’s repeated complaints about a customer who harassed and assaulted her, and that the company’s safety procedures were deficient. Adjudication Officer Niamh O’Carroll Kelly dated the decision 15 November 2017. The company did not appear at the hearing.
The worker said the customer invaded her personal space and, on one occasion, pinned her to the floor. She had complained about him several times before that incident, but the employer took no action. The adjudicator found the situation had been allowed to escalate and said the employer should have acted after the first complaint.
The worker also described injuries while handling heavy food pallets and after slipping from a step while dog grooming. The adjudicator found the company’s health and safety policies deficient and said it should have trained staff to carry out their duties safely. The company was in liquidation, so the adjudicator made no recommendation in the industrial relations dispute.