Home / Crime and Justice / Disabled Worker Wins £18k After Toilet Access Denied
Disabled Worker Wins £18k After Toilet Access Denied
22 Sep
Summary
- Worker awarded over £18,000 for disability discrimination.
- Denied access to a ground-floor toilet for nearly five months.
- Suffered physical and psychological distress due to lack of access.
A disabled Pets at Home employee has been awarded £18,277 after a tribunal found the company failed to make reasonable adjustments for her disability. Mihaela Bonciog, who suffers from chronic back pain and bladder incontinence, was not informed about the availability of a ground-floor toilet for nearly five months.
This lack of access forced Ms. Bonciog to navigate three flights of stairs multiple times daily, causing significant distress and the fear of public embarrassment. The situation was exacerbated by a delay in providing an ergonomic chair, which she had requested to manage her debilitating back pain.
The tribunal ruled that Pets at Home discriminated against Ms. Bonciog by failing to communicate the availability of the accessible toilet and by not promptly providing the requested ergonomic chair. This period of neglect, from November 2023 to March 2024, resulted in considerable psychological suffering for the employee.
