Company fined after contractor injured in a fall from height

A manufacturing company has been fined after a contractor sustained injuries whilst working on the top of a machine.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that, on 30 July 2020, a contractor for Manufax Engineering Limited was working on top of the Correa machine which had an access gantry to reach the top.

However, the maintenance task he was carrying out meant he had to step outside of the gantry to reach a particular part of the machine. Whilst outside the gantry he lost his balance and fell.  As he fell, he tried to grab the top of the machine but failed and fell 3.9 metres resulting in a fractured right elbow, two fractured ribs and two pelvis fractures.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had no safe system of work for the task that was being carried out, there was a lack of supervision and no formal monitoring system in place to ensure that employees and contractors were working safely on site.  The task was not planned, supervised, or carried out in a safe manner.

Manufax Engineering Limited of Cromer Street in Stockport, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £26,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,205.42.

HSE inspector, Stephanie Simcock, said after the hearing: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices. Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related injury and fatality in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.”

Notes to Editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. hse.gov.uk
  2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/
  3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
  4. More information and guidance can be found at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height