A Cwmbran, Wales builder has been fined after an employee was seriously injured in a 7.5 ft fall from the roof of a property near Llandegfedd Reservoir.
Broke Left Femur in Fall
According to a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Andrew Hosking, 34, broke his left femur and had to be airlifted to hospital following the incident at Glascoed Lane, Glascoed, on 17 October 2011. He has been off work ever since.
Colleague Anthony Skarratts, 20, also fell from the roof, but escaped injury.
Abergavenny Magistrates’ Court heard recently that the duo were part of a team of workers undertaking a roof installation for Paul Siviter, trading as Paul Siviter General Builder.
Beam Broke and Landed on Bath Tub
They were standing on an old wooden roof beam balanced less than 10 feet above the ground, in order to receive A-frame trusses from a telehander and assemble them into position. The beam broke in half and both men fell inwards to the ground below, with Mr Hosking hitting the edge of a disused bath tub beneath. It was this impact that caused his injury.
An investigation by the HSE found that although there was scaffolding in place around the exterior of the building, there were no measures in place to prevent workers falling from height within the building, such as birdcage scaffolding or mobile elevated work platforms.
Builder Pleaded Guilty
The investigation also found that Paul Siviter’s own site-specific risk assessment identified that the work activity would involve working at height above 6.5 feet and identified ‘appropriate scaffolding’ as a necessary precaution to take.
The builder, of Garn Wen Farm, Belle Vue Lane, Cwmbran, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was fined $12,850 and ordered to pay full costs of $4,750.
Author Michael B. Stack, CPA, Director of Operations, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in employer communication systems and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. He is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
Contact: mstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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