A worker suffered a multitude of injuries, including a brain haemorrhage, when he fell two metres from an unprotected scaffold tower.
The 43-year-old man, who has asked not to be named, was working for CME Ceilings Ltd when the incident took place on 18 January last year.
The company had been contracted to install a suspended ceiling at Croxteth Sports and Wellbeing Centre in Liverpool. It originally planned to use a scissor lift to reach the ceiling but failed to arrange for the equipment to be delivered to the site, and so the worker used a mobile scaffold tower instead.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the brakes of the scaffold tower had not been applied and there was no edge protection around the work platform. While the man was on the platform, the scaffold started to move and he lost his balance. He fell two metres and landed on the concrete floor below.
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Again a case with overwhelming evidential failure results in a low fine.
WAH is repeatedly breached, injury and fatality persist at an alarming rate and the solution applied seems to be limited to new HSG.
I wonder what significant improvement will result from that considered responce?
(you can only hope that the new FFI will seriously kick in and impose improved compliance)
It is unbelievable that a case is taken to a Crown Court and results in such a low fine.Such a low fine is hardly likely to send a warning to any company that careless working practices are unacceptable. CME Ceilings could easily have located a suitable scissor lift company had they really wished too.
Fully agree Bob, non-compliance is ubiquitos, these people only get caught when there is a serious accident – tip of the iceberg. The penalties are too low and that is why companies take the risk. The company ‘planned to use a scissor lift’. Really? Why pay for a scissor lift when you can use a dodgy ally tower instead which costs nothing to install.
No mention of the Client or CDMC as usual – I wonder if this was a notifiable project?
When is the punishment going to fit the crime?
This mans life is ruined all because his employer is scrimping on supplying the correct equipment and training.
I have a friend who I have just pasma trained and he nearly got sacked because he would not lift a 4 metre high tower across a railway line. ( this was at 03.00hours)
Health and Safety is all very well but the enforcing authorities need to pay more surprise visits to the workplace, this especially includes the ORR in may experience