Shoulder injury at work: Teppo’s journey to fair compensation

Teppo Kane was a young, ambitious Queenslander eager to enter the workforce, so he decided to leave school to pursue a career as a prosthetic technician. His dream was to help others through his work.

Over the four decades, Teppo honed his skills, climbed the ranks and had a great passion for engineering the limbs and other apparatuses that enabled people to regain mobility and movement.

Until a preventable workplace injury cost Teppo his own mobility and ultimately his quality of life. 

An accident waiting to happen

Working as a senior technician, Teppo had witnessed the evolution of both his workplace and the team around him. Unfortunately, this also meant witnessing countless workplace hazards, risks, and safety concerns that remain a persistent challenge for Teppo and his team.

Faced with inefficient processes and outdated equipment, injuries within the prosthetic department at his hospital have become frequent and eerily similar.

A proud union delegate for the AWU Queensland, Teppo was passionate about safe and fair working conditions, and he felt a responsibility to act.

Leveraging his roles as both team leader and union organiser, Teppo advocated tirelessly for safer working conditions and to break down harmful stigmas.

If only his concerns had been heard, he might still be fit, able, and looking forward to his hard-earned retirement.

The day everything changed

Teppo was performing routine work at the hospital, dumping plaster into a hopper used to cast prosthetics. 

The plaster bags, stored on the floor, required Teppo to bend down repeatedly, lifting each heavy sack onto an electric trolley. It was during one of the repetitive bending and lifting motions that Teppo felt a sharp twinge in his back. 

Still, he pressed on, loading several sacks and wheeling the trolley into position at the hopper, which stood about 1.2 meters tall. 

However, before the plaster can enter the hopper, each bag must be manually lifted across a stainless-steel blade, which is designed to tear an opening in each sack. These movements would often cause Teppo to feel another jolt of pain course through his shoulder. 

Determined to remain at his station and finish his workday, Teppo pushed through the pain. 

It wasn’t until the next day, when the pain intensified, that the reality of the injury began to sink in. 

Teppo’s right to workers’ compensation

From the beginning, it was clear that Teppo’s fight for justice was about seeking accountability for the physical work injuries and mental impact he suffered. He sought recognition that what had occurred was not an unfortunate incident, but a foreseeable and preventable workplace failure. 

After tirelessly advocating for so many through his involvement with the Australian Workers’ Union, Teppo turned to them for help. 

My union, the AWU, was really there for me when I needed them. I can’t stress enough how important it is to join a union. I don’t think I’d be here without them.

His union organiser referred him to Maurice Blackburn, a law firm with which he had prior experience, and he felt confident that we could help him secure the workers’ compensation he was rightfully owed.

After hearing his story, it was obvious that Teppo's story highlights a troubling irony: an industry dedicated to restoring mobility and independence for others was systematically failing to protect the well-being of its workforce.

Unfortunately, we see a lot of workplaces that have very similar situations to this where there is minimal training and not enough equipment provided or maybe it's the wrong equipment, or they just don't want to invest in their staff.

Our team was committed to securing justice for Teppo, knowing that the success of his claim could become a driving force of change in the very systems that had failed him and many others.

With support from the AWU and our team, Teppo received the compensation entitlements he rightfully deserved. 

His case serves as a powerful reminder that workplace safety isn't just about compliance; it's about protecting the people whose passion and dedication drive essential services forward.

A glimpse into what the future holds

Although he has been compensated for the physical tolls of his injury, the mental and emotional weight remains. So, for Teppo, who now battles depression and anxiety, this next chapter is about peace of mind. 

“Getting on with life rather than worrying about work and not worrying about when the next injury is coming”, says Teppo.

Determined to protect present and future prosthetic technicians, Teppo bravely returned to work using his remaining time at the hospital, before his well-deserved retirement, to empower his team to speak up, advocate for themselves, and demand better, safer working conditions.

“If you love what you do, fight for it”, says Teppo. A hard-earned lesson from his experience, now shared to encourage others to stand up for change.

Getting help with a work injury claim

If you've suffered an injury at work that has affected your physical or psychological well-being, our specialist work injury lawyers are here to help you get back on track so you can focus on your recovery. Contact us today.