Accident claim news
11/10/2011

Contractor in court over worker's fall from height injury

A Wigan building contractor has been taken to court after one of its workers suffered a fall from height injury and was knocked unconscious.

The 29-year-old had been trying to climb onto the roof of a forklift truck in August last year when the construction site accident took place.

He sustained a head injury which caused him to lose consciousness for several minutes, Trafford Magistrates' Court heard, and required a week off work to recover.

Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that staff had been trained to service parts of the trucks' lifting equipment whilst standing on the roof - but had no stepladder or mobile steps to provide safe access.

The firm was fined £1,000 for breaching Work at Height Regulations and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.

"It could have been a lot worse – possibly even fatal," commented the HSE's investigating inspector after the hearing.

She added that poor training had increased the risk of a fall from height injury, saying bosses "simply hadn't considered the potential dangers of working at height".