A FORMER baggage handler who suffered a back injury while manoeuvring an aircraft stairs unassisted at Dublin airport has been awarded €45,000 damages against Ryanair Ltd at the High Court.
In making the award, Mr Justice Peter Charleton said he regarded the evidence of Damian Warcaba as to the circumstances on the ground leading to his injury in July 2008 as more probable and credible than the evidence of Ryanair.
While Ryanair contended it deprecated the “dangerous manoeuvre” of moving aircraft stairs unassisted, there was nothing to indicate employees were put on report or otherwise dealt with when they took such risks so as to speed up the turnaround of an aircraft, he said.
While Ryanair had set a standard in training concerning this manoeuvre, it was to be regretted that standard was not adhered to in practice, the judge said. He was satisfied nothing in the Ryanair rostering records indicated there was an abundance of, or even sufficient workers, to effect the task Mr Warcaba had carried out.
Mr Warcaba (25), The Rill, Waterside, Malahide, Co Dublin, had brought the case over an incident on July 17th, 2008. Ryanair, sued as a ground handling agent, had denied any liability and claimed Mr Warcaba had breached its standard operating procedures in engaging in a dangerous manoeuvre and was solely responsible for the accident.
In his judgment, the judge said Mr Warcaba was told by Ryanair during training that at least two people had to effect the moving stairs manoeuvre which involved moving an aircraft stairs manually for about three metres to rest against an aircraft.
During that training, other staff members – not the trainers – had made comments that, while that was “the theory”, the reality on the ground would be different, he said.
