Young worker fell from petrol station canopy
Steel fabricator after young construction worker falls on first day at work
A steel fabricator has been sentenced after a young employee fell through a fragile roof whilst at work in August 2017.
Plymouth Magistrates heard how a 19-year old employed by Langaton Steel Fabrications fell during his first day of working on a roof replacement project at a petrol filling station in Barnstaple, Devon.
He was working with another employee on the roof when he “took a few steps off the walkway” and fell 7.5m through a thin metal sheet onto the concrete forecourt below.
The young worker suffered serious head injuries, a broken pelvis and a broken wrist as a result of the fall.
Incident could have been fatal
HSE investigators found the work was not properly planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner when the incident occurred. The defendant had a duty to control how the work was carried out, including staff supervision.
Langaton Steel Fabrications (Mark Dayment T/A) – of North Road, South Moulton pleaded guilty to breaching Section 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regs 2005 was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,228.70.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Nicole Buchanan said:
“This young man’s injuries were life-changing and he could have easily been killed. This serious incident and devastation could have been avoided if basic safe guards had been put in place.
Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities and injuries in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well-known.”
Fall Protection
With falls being among the most common cause of serious injury in the work place fall protection is so important. The Arco Professional Safety Services Limited Fall Protection Department offers a nationwide service specialising in the design and installation of high level access solutions to facilitate the safe and efficient working environment of roof maintenance, on scaffolding, abseil cleaning and other high level tasks.
See more about our Fall Protection Services here
Working at Height
Make sure to have a look at our working at height training where you can learn everything from how to correctly suit up in sufficient equipment to climbing correctly.
See more about our Working at Height training here