A building firm and a contractor in North Yorkshire, Great Britain were recently fined after a worker was injured following a fall while working on the construction of a new farm building, according to a report from The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The 36-year-old worker, who asked not to be named, was employed by Stephen Ramsey, trading as Up & Cover, who had been subcontracted by Waddington Buildings Limited to carry out steel erection work and cladding on the building at Brierton North Farm, Billingham. Both Ramsey andWaddington Buildings Limited were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). (WCxKit)
Teesside Magistrates’ Court was told the worker was standing on a pallet fitted to a fork attachment of a tractor, which was lifted to heights of around four and a half meters to allow the worker to measure and fit guttering to the building. The court heard the tractor was being operated by Stephen Ramsey when it unexpectedly moved with the pallet in a raised position causing the worker to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
He spent 15 days in a hospital after his left heel was smashed and his right ankle was fractured and treatment is still ongoing.
HSE’s investigation revealed Ramsey failed to carry out the work safely and Waddington Buildings Limited had failed to establish whether work carried out on their behalf would be done safely and whether Stephen Ramsey was competent to do the work.
Stephen Ramsey, pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £1,000 ($1,567) and ordered to pay £250 ($3920) costs. (WCxKit)
Waddington Buildings Limited, of Station Road, Brompton on Swale, pleaded guilty to one breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £3,500 ($5,484) and ordered to pay costs of £900 ($1,410).
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected].
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