A Sheffield, Great Britain painting company must pay a £2,000 ($3,126) fine due to a worker's seven-meter fall that caused life-changing injuries. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) successfully prosecuted Charles Painting (UK) Ltd of Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching 9 (2) the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and must pay a £1,000 in costs in addition to the £2,000 ($1,563) fine.
The employee suffered multiple fractures to his legs and arm when he fell through a fragile roof surface, seriously changing his life. While the worker was preparing to clean roof lights at Beeley Fabrications, Claywheels Lane, in Sheffield, he was pulling water pipes across the roof, when he fell seven meters through a roof light onto the workshop floor.
The HSE investigation found there were no working platforms, guardrails, scaffold or sufficient means of protection provided on the roof or underneath to prevent the fall.
After the hearing HSE Inspector Alison Crank noted, "There were no precautions in place at the time to prevent a fall through the fragile roof or from the roof edge and as a result the worker sustained long-term serious injury. (workersxzcompxzkit)
"Figures show falls from height are a major cause of deaths at work in the UK, with more than 4,000 employees suffering a major injury as a result of a fall from height in 2008/09. HSE is determined to raise as much awareness as possible to the hazards and risks of working at height so that employers can take sufficient steps to minimize the serious consequences of a fall."
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers' Compensation costs, including airlines, health care, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.
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