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This article was published on February 1st, 2016
Scaffolding is dangerous. It needs skilled and well trained individuals to put up and take down and it they have to follow strict safety guidelines to ensure the scaffold is safe kept safe and that the scaffold is safe for clients to use on their builds or repair work.
The HSE have investigated a scaffold firm after one of his employees fell from the second tier of scaffold at a height of approximately 5 metres. The employee was taking the scaffold down at the time of the accident and hit the scaffold twice on his decent 5 metres to the ground.
He sustained nine broken ribs, a punctured lung, fractured skull and a fractured spleen. As a result of his extensive injuries, he had to spend five days in hospital and 4 months off work to recover.
The Health and Safety Executive investigation found there were failures by the company to ensure that there were safety guard rails in place where the scaffolder was working and he also did not have access to a harness to secure himself to the structure which resulted in there being no safety net should he slip or anything go wrong with the dismantling procedure.
They were found to have breached the Work at height Regulations 2005, regulation 6(3) and were fined £8,000 with costs of £3,003.
An HSE Inspector said: “This incident could easily have been avoided had a guard rail been in place or if ……. had been provided with a harness & lanyard to wear which was clipped on when he was working.
“The guidance relating to scaffolding is very clear – no person working on a scaffold, whether putting it up or taking it down should be in any area unless it has a guard rail or they are wearing suitable fall arrest harnesses which are clipped on.
“This case clearly highlights the need to ensure that all people working for you, employees or not are suitably trained and that they know the required standards and implement them.”
Accidents like these can change peoples lives forever. These accidents should not happen if staff are given good training, are well supervised and given the correct tools and equipment to do the job safely. Don’t always assume it was your fault for making a mistake. If you have suffered an accident at work then speak to one of our specialist solicitors who will handle every aspect of your work accident compensation claim, providing the support and expertise you deserve.
We offer a free initial interview in order to review your specific circumstances and assess the viability of your personal injury claim.
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