Accident In The Construction Industry

Graham Parkin suffered a fractured vertebrae after he fell while accessing a work area in Burnley on November 19 2008. There were no guardrails in place to prevent Mr Parkin's accident.

Principal contractor Illson (Builders & Contractors) Ltd, of North Parade, Burley in Wharfedale, were fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,800 after being prosecuted for a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and pleaded guilty to a charge under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.

Mr Parkin's employer Kendal Varley Ltd also pleaded guilty to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 of failing to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that construction work was due to take place. They were given a fine of £2,000 and a costs penalty of £1,800.

As both firms were the clients for the work, a Construction Design and Management co-ordinator should have been appointed to notify HSE about the work, Bradford Magistrates Court was told.

Copyright © Press Association 2010

David Urpeth, an expert in accidents at work from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "I welcome the fines imposed following this very serious work accident.

"The construction industry is the industrial sector where a worker is most likely to be injured or killed in an industrial accident.

"As such, it is vital that those responsible for the safety of workers, fully comply with their duties under health and safety legislation.

"All too often, I have to help workers pursue their compensation claim after they suffer injuries in an accident at work. The tragedy is that so many of these accidents could and should have been avoided."