Attard Bros Co Ltd have been ordered to pay over €23,000 in damages to an employee who suffered a permanent disability at his place of work.

Mr Justice Raymond C Pace heard that Mr Azzopardi, who filed a writ of summons filed against the company and George Bonello, was an employee and he had suffered permanent damage to his right eye when he was hit by a metal shard while at work.

Mr Azzopardi claimed that the shard was caused by Mr Bonello using a chaser on metal. He requested the court to order defendants to pay him damages.

The court heard that Mr Azzopardi and Mr Bonello had been assigned to spread a steel reinforcement mesh on a roof. The mesh was larger than necessary and the two men had started to cut it using large cutters. When the mesh was laid some of the poles extruded and could not be trimmed with the cutters.

The two men had then decided to cut the mesh with a chaser used by Mr Bonello. It was then that a metal shard flew into Mr Azzopardi's eye.

The court concluded that the company had not offered a safe system of work to its employees and that it was, therefore, responsible for the accident in which Mr Azzopardi had suffered a permanent disability of 14 per cent.

Mr Azzopardi was awarded €23,525.74 in damages.