A flooring company has received a fine for failing to ensure health and safety after a worker was injured onsite…
A self-employed contractor working with Technic Concrete Floors Limited was injured due to safety failings.
The contractor, Steven Stewart, was walking across a floor that was under construction at an Edinburgh retail park in 2014 when his foot dislodged an unsecured wooden panel covering a void in the floor. The worker fell some 4.5 metres. He landed on steel mesh grids on the ground below.
As a result of the fall Stewart sustained serious back injuries as well as a broken foot.
The case was brought before Edinburgh Sherriff Court after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that if a dynamic risk assessment had been carried out prior to the task the voids might have been flagged as being inadequately protected.
HSE ruled that with proper planning and supervision the incident could have been avoided.
The firm, which is based in Lancashire, pleaded guilty to a contravention of Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It received a fine of £3,300.
Gary Aitken, head of the Crown Office health and safety division, said: “This was an accident that resulted in life changing injuries that could have been avoided if the appropriate measures had been in place at the time.
“This incident could well have proved fatal and it has irrevocably changed Mr. Stewart’s life.
“Falls from height are usually the greatest single cause of death and serious injury to workers within the construction industry.
“Hopefully this prosecution will remind other employers that failure to fulfil their obligations can have terrible consequences and that they will be held to account for their failings.”
