Coach building company fined after an apprentice fell from height

A Warrington based coach fabricator has appeared in court after an apprentice suffered serious injuries when he fell through a roof he was working on.

The 25 year old worker from Orford, who has asked not to be named, suffered three fractured ribs and a ruptured spleen as a result of the incident on 14 April 2016.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard the worker was assisting other employees with cleaning of the valley gutters on the workshop roof in Hardwick, Warrington when he stepped back onto a fragile skylight, falling 30 feet to the floor below where his fall was broken by a table.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Bespoke Bodies Ltd had not properly supervised this work at height activity; it was also found the company failed to identify the risks associated with working at height and working on fragile surfaces.

Bespoke Bodies Ltd of Grange Hardwick, Warrington pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 3 (1) (a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and has been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3339.

Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Lianne Farrington said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work related injuries and the risks with working at height are well known.

“Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary instruction and training to their workers.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
3. Further HSE news releases are available at press.hse.gov.uk
4. For further information on working at height please visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm