The National Industrial Court, Yenagoa Judicial Division, has ordered China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited, CCECC, to pay ₦20 million in compensation and general damages to a former employee who sustained an injury while working at one of the company’s construction sites.
Justice Polycarp Hamman held that CCECC owed the claimant, identified as Mr Inyang, a duty to provide safe equipment and a reasonably safe working environment.
The court found that the injury to Inyang’s right foot resulted from the company’s failure to take adequate precautions for his safety while he performed his duties as an iron bender.
CCECC had acknowledged that Inyang was injured at the worksite but maintained that he had been provided with personal protective equipment, medical treatment, allowances and salary during part of his recovery period.
The company also argued that the claimant had recovered but failed to return to work, leading to the eventual stoppage of his salary.
Justice Hamman, however, drew an important distinction between treating an employee after an accident and complying with the employer’s duty to prevent the accident in the first place.
According to the court, the relevant question was whether adequate systems, equipment and precautions had been put in place to safeguard the employee before the injury occurred.
Although Inyang sought ₦200 million in compensation, the court considered the evidence, including his recovery and expressed willingness to resume work, and awarded ₦20 million.
The court declined his request for continued monthly salary from January 2024, holding that the employment relationship was not one with statutory flavour that would justify specific performance or reinstatement.
The judgment strengthens the growing body of Nigerian labour jurisprudence affirming that workplace safety is not merely an administrative expectation but a legal duty capable of attracting substantial damages where negligence is established.
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