Fall From Height

Companies that have staff working at height have been warned to take sensible precautions to prevent accidents after a construction firm was fined over a fall suffered by an employee.

Scottish-based construction company, City Building (Glasgow), admitted failing to ensure proper health and safety standards and was fined £20,000 after an apprentice joiner was badly injured.

The 20-year-old fell about four metres through a gap in the floor sustaining serious neck injuries after a loose sheet of plywood, which had been placed over the opening, gave way.

The accident happened at a new primary school being built in Kyleakin Road in the Arden area of Glasgow.

The Health and Safety Executive said it could have been prevented by securing the gap with either robust edge protection or properly supported and fixed boarding.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Annette Leppla warned those who are responsible for working at height to take sensible precautions to prevent accidents. She said: "This accident was entirely foreseeable and preventable. The worker was severely injured because his employer failed to do enough about the risks associated with working at height."

Copyright © Press Association 2009

David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: “This was a totally avoidable work accident.

“The construction industry is the industrial sector where a worker is most likely to lose his life in an accident at work. Many such work accidents involve falls from height or injury caused by falling objects.

“Employers could reduce the terrible tally of work injuries and work deaths if they took simple and cost effective steps to improve health and safety.”