A construction company has been found guilty of breaching section 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, fined £400,000 and ordered to pay legal costs of £1,534 after one of its employees fell from a height and broke his pelvis and arm.
The Court heard how an employee was covering openings on the third floor of a building with plywood boards when he fell through one of the holes onto the second floor below, a distance of 3.95 metres.
The construction company had not implemented any safety measures to prevent employees from falling through the openings and there had been no risk assessment carried out on the job to ascertain the supervision or safety equipment required or method of work required to carry out the job safely.
HSE inspector said: “This incident could have been a lot worse. The system that …..Construction Ltd has in place to control the risk from installing the protection for openings was not implemented on site, ultimately resulting in the accident.
“The risks of working at height are widely recognised throughout the construction industry. This case highlights the importance of ensuring that all work at height is properly planned and carried out safely.”
The employee has not been able to return to work yet.
Accidents at work can be embarrassing, stressful and in worst cases, life changing! We often blame ourselves when they happen but were you given the right tools, information and equipment to do the job safely? Was the job risk assessed and properly supervised? Were you given the proper training to do the job? Are all the tools and machinery maintained and fit for purpose?
If you are unsure if you are at fault or not then speak to one of our specialist solicitors who find out for you and will handle every aspect of your work accident compensation claim, providing the support and expertise you deserve.
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