Head Injury Accident at Work - apprentice joiner injured in fall
Scotia Homes Ltd was fined after a 17-year-old apprentice joiner fell from the first floor of a house he was working on.
Head injury
The trainee fell almost nine feet to a concrete floor from the first floor of the new build home through an unguarded stairwell injuring his head and legs.
Inadequate safety measures
Scotia Homes Ltd was prosecuted over the incident that occurred on 12 October 2009 at the company's Kirkside construction site in Laurencekirk. Apart from a plywood sheet placed over the stairwell entrance there was no edge protection or guards in place to prevent employees from falling through the open stairwell.
Scotia Homes pled guilty to breaching regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £4,000. The fine was reduced from £6,000 due to an early guilty plea.
Investigating HSE Inspector Alan MacKinnon said: "This incident could have been avoided. The fall protection measure in place was completely inadequate as a means of preventing anyone falling from height. Employers working at height need to ensure that risks are fully assessed and that open edged areas of work are suitably guarded."
Kim Smerdon a personal injury lawyer at Reading based law firm Boyes Turner said: "Risks from working at height are entirely preventable. We have acted for hundreds of people who have been injured at work and sustained head injury, brain damage and other severe injuries to make sure they receive the compensation they deserve."
Click here to read about some of the people we have helped who have had an accident at work.
Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems we recommend that professional advice be sought.
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