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Arcoservices > Falls from Height > Company fined for worker’s fall in Feltham

Company fined for worker’s fall in Feltham

A Somerset construction company has been fined after a worker plummeted six metres from a roof he was working on in south-west London.

Wayne Bird, 28, was cleaning dead leaves from the gulleys of a building on the Radius Park in Feltham on 18 January 2011 for Somerset-based company A. R. Berry Design and Build Ltd.

Mr Bird, of Okehampton, Devon, stepped on a fragile skylight, which broke, sending him crashing through to the concrete floor below.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard today (22 Oct) that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and prosecuted A.R Berry for failing to ensure the safety of its employees.

Mr Bird suffered fractures and severe tendon damage to his left knee and right arm, broke his nose and lost several teeth. He is still unable to straighten his right arm or turn his elbow. As well as receiving on-going medical treatment, he is being treated for the psychological effects of the incident and has been unable to return to work.

The court was told that HSE found the company failed to plan the work properly and did not train their workers to work at height. There was no edge protection in place and, although there were running lines available on the roof, no harnesses had been attached to them to protect the workers.

A.R. Berry Design and Build Ltd of Timberscombe, Minehead, Somerset, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £5000 and ordered to pay £8000 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Zahir Agha, said:

"The dangers of working at height are well-known in the construction industry, as are the measures available to minimise risk and to protect employees.

"There is no excuse for the safety failings made by A.R. Berry Design and Build. Their neglect of safe working at height has devastated a young man's life.

"By planning the work properly, giving their workers sufficient training and monitoring activity, this fall could have been prevented. A.R. Berry should have ensured staff had the right personal protective equipment and been trained in its use.

"There is a much guidance available on working at height and support for firms to assess risks and safely plan work.

Last year more than 6,300 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work.

For advice on working safely at height go to www.hse.gov.uk/falls[1]

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. www.hse.gov.uk[2]
  2. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."