Swine flu pandemic raises workplace litigation risk

Businesses could face an increase in legal claims from employees hit by swine flu, legal experts have warned.

Claims for personal injury, health and safety failures, and negligence look set to rise amid growing concerns that firms are not ready to deal with swine flu-related legal issues.

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Employees are becoming increasingly litigious, with employment tribunal claims up 4% last year to 190,000. Lawyers said that staff who believe they have contracted swine flu at work are likely to sue if they can show that their employer failed to take adequate precautions.

Caroline Doran, partner in employment law at Sprecher Grier Halberstam, told the Guardian: “If employers don’t take some steps to consider what will happen if someone is affected, there are myriad health and safety and duty of care regulations that would come into play.”