UK Cleaner Wins Case After Fall in House of Commons Kitchen

A cleaner who works in the kitchen at the House of Commons in London, England, was awarded more than US$13,000 after he slipped in a puddle of fatty liquid that had leaked from several ovens.

Defects in the ovens’ door seals led to fat leaking onto the floor and mixing with cleaning chemicals, the Daily Mail reports. A judge ruled that catering managers had failed to address the leaky ovens, which had been a known problem since 2012.

The cleaner, who is employed by a contractor, was instructed not to clean the puddles but to report them to his manager. He slipped and fell as he was cleaning the kitchen while trying to navigate the puddles.