Who pays for damage to clothing during an internship?

Questioner

My daughter and a classmate are doing an internship for the MBO Nursing course. It is the first-year internship where they visit people at home one day a week from an internship organization for company, grocery shopping together and/or light housework. Both young people suffered damage to their clothing during the internship. 1. In one family they had to clean for the full two hours, including cleaning the shower drain with chlorine. In doing so, there were splashes on my daughter's new vest. I find it debatable whether cleaning the shower drain with chlorine is considered light housework and whether you can expect a 16-year-old to know that chlorine irreversibly damages your clothes. They were given a short-sleeved polo shirt by the internship organization, because of the cold in the house my daughter had put her own vest over it. 2. They are given a bicycle to borrow from the internship organization to cycle from one address to another. The bicycle of the classmate did not have a chain guard. Her trousers got caught in the chain and are now broken. It seems to me that when you provide a bicycle to your interns, it should be sturdy and should not cause damage to clothing during normal use. In both cases I wonder who is responsible for this damage and whether the damage can be recovered from either the internship organization or the training institute? Both gave as their first reaction that this is their own risk. I would think that one of the two or both should be insured for this.

Lawyer

It is understandable that you are seeking clarification on these situations. Your question concerns liability for damage that occurred during the internship of your daughter and her classmate. First of all, a clear distinction can be made between these two cases. Regarding the chlorine incident: normally, interns are responsible for any damage or loss of personal belongings during their internship, unless there is intent or recklessness on the part of the internship institution. It is possible that the internship institution or the training institute has insurance that covers such damage, but this is not always the case. It would be advisable to check with both institutions. Regarding the damaged trousers: if the bicycle was provided by the institution and it does not function properly, the institution could potentially be liable for the damage. However, this depends on the specific circumstances and perhaps also on the terms of their insurance. It seems advisable to discuss this with the institution concerned. In either case, it is important to report to the institutions the exact nature of the damage and the circumstances in which it occurred, as well as your considerations regarding their possible liability. It would also be helpful to review your daughter's internship agreement or training agreement with her classmate, as these may contain provisions regarding liability and possible compensation for damages. I recommend speaking to a lawyer or attorney about this to determine the best course of action, as my advice is purely exploratory in nature and there may be specific elements of your situation that require additional attention. ' ---------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response.