A FORMER abattoir worker is suing Warwick's Canterbury Meats for more than $460,000 in damages for a thumb injury allegedly sustained nearly three years ago in the John Dee factory.

Court documents lodged recently in Brisbane show the female worker, aged 23 at the time of the injury, is suing for medical costs as well as lost income and anxiety, along with what she claims is ongoing pain from a permanent injury.

In a claim lodged on her behalf in the Brisbane District Court by Shine Lawyers, the former process worker states that in May 2010 she was working in the abattoir's offal room when she was instructed at the end of her shift to clean a number of cutting boards weighing between three and five kilograms.

Due to the risk of contamination if the boards came into contact with workers' clothing, the worker says she and other employees carried the boards away from their bodies after initial cleaning by hooking their thumbs through holes in the boards.

The worker claims while she was carrying three of the boards in this way to a sanitisation dip from the offal room's wash bay "she felt her right shoulder seem to give way", causing the boards to fall to the ground with her right thumb still inserted in the holes.

"The cutting boards from the offal room bounced unevenly, jamming against the plaintiff's thumb, causing her to injure her right thumb and hand," the statement of claim says.

The statement also says "staff who adopted the practice... were not directed to do otherwise by any of the defendant's (Canterbury Meats) supervisors".

The claim goes on to state that Canterbury Meats failed in its duty of care and workplace safety obligations to the employee and should have foreseen the injury risk from workers carrying the cutting boards in such a manner.

As well as pain in the thumb, the former worker says she has a "reduced range of motion" with the thumb, along with reduced strength in her right hand, reduced movement of her right shoulder and anxiety and depression.

She also says she is no longer fit for work in a meatworks environment for which she is qualified and can only undertake "light and sedentary employment".

The damages claim totalling $460,599.97 includes lost income-earning capacity of $270,360, $50,000 for "pain and suffering" and $45,531 in medical expenses, along with other amounts for psychiatric treatment and travel expenses.

Canterbury Meats spokesman Warren Stiff yesterday said the company would defend the claim, saying WorkCover and its nominated lawyers were handling the matter, and he declined to comment further.