Company fined after worker falls and suffers serious injuries

A housing company has been sentenced after an agency worker suffered serious injuries in a ladder fall.

Teesside Magistrates’ Court heard that on 8 November 2017, the worker was carrying out work at height from a ladder, removing beading to an external first floor window on a residential home. The worker fell a distance of three metres, suffering serious injuries including four fractured vertebrae.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the housing company had failed to properly plan, supervise and carry out external work at height.

Thirteen Housing Group of Northshore Road, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,327.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Ashfaq Ali said: “This incident could have been prevented had the company properly planned the work at height. This would have included the use of reasonably practicable measures such as mobile tower scaffolds, which were introduced for similar work following the incident.”

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. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk
4. Further information about safely working at height can be found at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/height.htm