Avoiding personal injury

[Monday]

Some years ago my daughter's eyes were damaged because of a combination of factors - excessive heat and dry air in the work environment, wearing soft contact lenses, human error etc - with the consequence that both eyes were left with scar tissue on the corneas. Down the line and having worked for six years in a new job, she has managed her eye problems without needing to ask for special adjustments due to disability and without disclosing her disability to her new employer.

A situation now arises whereby a change of working conditions comes close to recreating the factors that caused the injuries - not least having been moved to a new environment where windows are closed and radiator valves are routinely set at 5, causing working conditions that daughter says are 'like a sauna'. She says she is already suffering from dry itchy eyes (for the first time in the six years of working for this employer).

She has brought the situation to union attention and asked for their help but they are unresponsive, apparently because ' they don't know what to do'. Her HR department has asked to discuss the situation with her but are taking the view that no-one other than her is complaining so what's the problem?

So - pre-existing medical condition that has caused no problem for about ten years, was never disclosed to new employer as a disability, and is now starting to cause difficulties due to changes in working conditions. Can anyone suggest a way forward?

TIA

[atticus]

Tia

Has your daughter consulted an optician? Might there be a solution such as eye drops?

[Monday]

Tia

Has your daughter consulted an optician? Might there be a solution such as eye drops?

She has a long list of prescription medications provided by the consultant who treated her at the time of her injury and for months afterwards. She hasn't needed them for years. If medications become necessary, their required use is every two hours (some) and every four hours (others). Very disruptive to life in general

[atticus]

If that is not the route to a solution that your daughter wishes to consider then she might wish to raise a grievance at work.

[Monday]

If that is not the route to a solution that your daughter wishes to consider then she might wish to raise a grievance at work.

Using constant medication to treat eye injury is not a solution and her view is that it is better to avoid injury than to let it happen and then endure the consequences - which, given that her corneas are already scarred, are predictably serious.

I shall put to her your suggestion of raising a grievance at work.

Thank you