Being charged for ruined keg at work

[GemEm97]

Hi,

My friend changed a barrel at work the other day and it didn’t change right so asked a senior member of staff and they didn’t look into it. Later on it was revealed that the whole keg leaked all over the floor and they’re charging her £100 for it. No one has ever trained her and she asked someone to check it. How legal is this to charge her given the circumstances?

[jaguarsuk]

Hi,

My friend changed a barrel at work the other day and it didn’t change right so asked a senior member of staff and they didn’t look into it. Later on it was revealed that the whole keg leaked all over the floor and they’re charging her £100 for it. No one has ever trained her and she asked someone to check it. How legal is this to charge her given the circumstances?

She would need to look at her staff handbook and/or contract of employment to see if there is anything about wastage or loss.

Regardless she shouldn't be undertaking tasks she is not trained to do, as she is not insured to do them and consequently if she makes a mistake the employer cannot make a claim on their insurance to rectify it if needed. If the flood had damaged equipment or caused closure of the business for any period of time she could have found herself in a right mess.

By undertaking a task she has not been trained to do she's putting herself in the firing line and when asked should simply have said she doesn't know how because she's not been trained. That would have forced the senior member of staff to do it.

[ULA]

If the employer does not have a clause in the contract or staff handbook about recovering the value of any wastage or loss and if your friend does not agree to repaying the £100 via it being deducted from wages and the employer then does , then is could be an unlawful deduction of wages.