Sheffield Magistrates’ Court was told how, on 6 September 2016, the apprentice was passing roof tiles from the loading bay to a colleague on the scaffold when he caught his foot in a gap between the scaffold platform and the loading bay. The apprentice fell backwards under a single guard rail to the ground below, sustaining injuries including a fractured cheekbone, broken wrist and injuries to his ribs. He also required 13 stitches for a deep cut above his left eye.
The HSE’s investigation found that the loading bay edge protection did not include an intermediate guard-rail or toe board.
Bland Scaffolding Ltd of Old Ship House, Wath Road, Elsecar pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £918 in costs.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Trisha Elvy commented: “This case highlights the importance of following well known industry guidance to design and erect scaffolding in a safe manner, a fall from this height could have easily been fatal.”
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