HSE Fines Company Over Incident

A leading workplace injury expert has welcomed the Health and Safety Executive’s decision to prosecute, leading to a fine for a construction firm in relation to the death of an employee.

Kier North West has been ordered to pay £160,000 in relation to a case where a labourer fell from an open window frame at Everton FC’s Finch Farm training academy after a temporary guardrail attached to a rubbish chute gave way.

The employee was in a coma for three months after the incident before dying in May 2007. A hearing at Liverpool Crown Court revealed that Kier’s on-site management team had not assessed if the rail could take the weight of the chute.

Commenting on the case, David Urpeth of Irwin Mitchell said: “This fatal accident highlights just how important it is for construction firms to pay full attention to workplace safety.

“The guardrail in place on the site was there to protect the worker, so it is a tragedy that its condition was not fully assessed and any potential problems were not spotted before the accident.

“This appears to be yet another case where a worker has been harmed in a work accident which could have been avoided. Sadly. falls from height still remain a major category of serious and fatal injuries following an accident at work.”

“The number of deaths at work in the UK has fallen consistently in recent years due to effective and proportionate health and safety legislation but 151 workers still died at work in the UK last year alone and we must not lose sight of the importance of safety in the workplace.”

If you have lost a loved one due to an accident at work, our serious injury claims solicitors could help you claim compensation to help get the answers you deserve. For more information visit our fatal accident claims or fall from height claims page.