A WELDER who suffers from a painful hand condition has a won claim for compensation against his former employer.

David Reid sued Dane Architectural Services, based at Hamsterley Colliery in County Durham, for an undisclosed amount after he was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The firm admitted being in breach of Health and Safety Regulations by failing to ensure that he was not exposed to excessive amounts of vibration from the tools.

But the company argued that his condition was more likely to have been caused by Mr Reid, of Chopwell, near Consett, being overweight rather than his working conditions.

A judge in Newcastle County Court ruled the employer had been at fault and that the true cause of his injury was the vibrating tools and not his weight.

After the hearing, Mr Reid said: “I had to sit in court for two days listening to arguments about the cause of my injury.

“I am not obese and never have been. It was a great relief when the judge said I was entitled to compensation."

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a condition that affects the hands.

Solicitor Kirsten Scott, of Beecham Peacock, which is based in Newcastle, and represented Mr Reid, said: “You are at a greater risk of suffering the condition if you are overweight but that does not mean it is always the cause.

“The use of vibrating tools has to be very carefully monitored."

A spokesman for Dane Architectural Services said the decision to contest the claim was made by the company’s insurers and their solicitors with advice from their external expert.

He added: “The company was obliged by the terms of its policy to pass the claim over to them to handle on our behalf. The company will be making no further comment on this matter.”