A Nando's waitress whose skin was melted off in a horror accident has been paid compensation after she sued the restaurant.
Mairi Espie, 21, was left seriously injured after some product soaked through her clothes while emptying a container of cleaning detergent whilst working at Nando’s restaurant in Nethergate, Dundee in December 2019.
The liquid was so corrosive it burned through her jeans and melted the skin on her right thigh, leaving her needing specialist treatment at A&E. Although the wound has now healed, Mairi has been left with a permanent scar.
Nando's have now agreed to pay Mairi an undisclosed amount of money after she sued the company, claiming she was never given a special apron or gloves and staff were 'just kind of expected to crack on'.
However, Mairi, who graduated from Abertay University last year with a degree in criminology, said the case was never about the money for her.
Speaking after the settlement, she said: “It shouldn’t have needed to go as far as a legal action but at the same time I also shouldn’t have been burned in the first place.
“This was never about the money for me, just recognition, because at the time it felt like people didn’t believe it was that bad or anything was wrong.
“But to be fair to Nando’s I think they’ve now done the right thing – they settled the case pretty quickly, the staff have been supportive and the issues that led to me getting hurt seem to have been addressed now so hopefully it means others will be safe too.
“I’m glad things are over now and I can just focus on getting on with things.”
After the accident Mairi went to Ninewells Hospital where medics provided a specialist washing treatment to remove the detergent. She was then bandaged and had to recover at home for more than a week.
Simon Hammond, Partner at Digby Brown, the firm who helped Mairi with an employer liability claim, added: “Mairi was only in contact with this industrial cleaner fluid for a short time so the extent of her burns shows you just how corrosive that substance is – and how much worse it could have been.
“We are happy to have helped Mairi get the recognition she wanted and we hope the successful end to her case sends an important reminder to employers everywhere to not be complacent on staff safety.”
Nando's declined to comment.
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