Worker Left Serious Injured After Construction Incident

A company director has been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries following a fall from height caused by a scaffold collapse.

David Knowles of Kirkby-in-Ashfield has been ordered to pay £5,000 and costs in relation to a work accident in October 2009, when a roofing contractor fell six metres and fractured his pelvis in four places after scaffolding built on behalf of Mr Knowles collapsed at a home in Nottingham.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that the scaffolding had not been put together by a competent worker and did not meet standard configuration. The contractor was forced to take four months off work as a result of his injuries.

Stephen Nye, a workplace injury expert at Irwin Mitchell, said the case demonstrated the terrible impact that avoidable accidents at work can have on so many people.

He outlined: “Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace injury in the construction industry, often leading to serious injury and in some cases death.

“Any work at height needs to be organised and managed to the best possible safety standards, but in this case it was ruled that this simply was not the case.

“Scaffolding needs to be erected in line with all standard guidelines, regulations that exist in order to minimise the potential risk of injury. Building firms cannot ignore their responsibilities when it comes to health and safety as, like this case shows, the consequences of doing so can be devastating.”