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A working mother has won a $1.25 million payout from Bunnings after seriously injuring her back while moving a large bucket of fertilizer in one of the hardware giant’s warehouses.
Sarah Jane was 31 years old and working for fertilizer company Neutrog as a merchandiser at Seven Hills Bunnings in northwest Sydney in 2018.
She knelt down to try to move an 11kg bucket of Sudden Impact fertilizer to the front of a pallet when she injured her back, leaving her in agony for the past six years.
Bunnings agreed to pay $750,000 in compensation plus about $500,000 in legal costs after the case came before the New South Wales Supreme Court this week.
Sarah Jane (pictured) won a $1.25 million payout from Bunnings after seriously injuring her back while moving a large bucket of fertilizer in one of the hardware giant’s warehouses.
Sarah Jane, 31, was working for fertilizer company Neutrog as a merchandiser at Seven Hills Bunnings in Sydney’s northwest (pictured) when she attempted to move the bulky 11kg package.
“It’s a win, but it doesn’t really feel like a win,” Jane said. news.com.au.
“Not just everything they’ve put me through, but just the injury itself, and how much it’s changed my life and how much I’ve missed out on with my kids when they were little.”
The payout came after Bunnings admitted they should have trained Ms Jane to use a pallet jack while working in the store, which would have prevented the injury.
He had been shown a video training module, but was not told about the pallet jacks that could have been used to move heavy items safely.
“Bunnings had a duty to traders attending Bunnings stores to ensure that they were informed of the specialist working procedure, including the pallet jack procedure,” the court papers said.
“Bunnings devised, controlled and regulated the prevailing system of work for its own employees, but did not apply the same rigor or adopt the same precautions for the merchants, who, however, were subject to the control and supervision of Bunnings.”
Sarah Jane severely injured her back and is still in agony six years later after she knelt to drag the bulky bucket of Sudden Impact fertilizer to the front of a pallet.
Jane’s legal team said Bunnings had fought her case “tooth and nail” until it came to court, and had repeatedly told her she had no right to claim anything.
His lawyer Luke Power, of Turner Freeman Lawyers, said it was a big “win for the little guy” after Bunnings finally softened its stance and agreed to the deal.
“There has been a lot of opposition and we were told on numerous occasions that there was no case,” Power added.
“This has been incredibly stressful for her and she fought tooth and nail.”
Neutrog has also been ordered to contribute to the costs of the deal.