Not properly protecting employees while on the job led to one British company receiving a fine, this after a worker died while on a jobsite.
According to information from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Merseyside company was sentenced for failing to properly train staff on how to use equipment that enables them to work at height.
Employee Trapped In Guardrail & Tragically Killed
Knowsley-based Firesafe Installations Limited uses mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), such as a scissor lift, to access high work areas.
Southwark Crown Court in London heard in early April that when a company employee was trapped between the guardrail of a scissor lift and some overhead ducting a colleague could not release him and bring him down due to the fact he was unaware of how to use the emergency controls.
Shaun Scurry, 39, of Kirkby, tragically died following the incident at the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, East London, on Dec. 9, 2009.
Company Should Have Made Sure of Equipment Operation
The court heard that although Firesafe Installations cannot be held directly accountable for the death, the employer should have made sure staff knew how to operate the equipment they were using.
Workplace Safety Training Should Be Routinely Assessed
HSE investigated the fatality and established that familiarization training was inadequate. Industry guidance dictates that such training is essential for anyone using MEWPs, and should be routinely assessed because controls vary between different makes and models.
Firesafe Installations Limited, of Security House, Caddick Road, Knowsley Industrial Park South, was fined more than $46,000 and ordered to pay $44,000 in costs after pleading guilty to a lone count of breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
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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