A global documents security company has been fined £5,000 after one of its employees fell from a stepladder at the company's UK site in Newham, damaging the radius bone in his left elbow.
The 48-year-old employee, who does not want to be named, was trying to reach the upper level of a racking system when the step ladder collapsed, sending him crashing at least a metre to the floor. He was unable to return to work for several weeks.
Iron Mountain (UK) Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation identified that the ladder the employee was using wasn't fit for purpose. the HSE established that the ladder was in a poor condition and was critically weakened by a crack that eventually caused it to fail.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told it was one of two step ladders available to staff that had deteriorated beyond the point of safe use. Had both been replaced as was necessary, then the incident could have been avoided.
Iron Mountain (UK) Ltd was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £8,940 in costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Work at Height Regulations SI 2005/735.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Monica Babb commented, "Ladders are often seen as an everyday item that can be taken for granted. They are not routinely checked, which is vital when it comes to identifying potential defects.
"Yet when they fail the consequences can be very serious. On this occasion a worker sustained a painful elbow injury, but it could have been much worse had he fallen from a greater height or landed in a different position.
"Iron Mountain (UK) Ltd should have implemented a more robust system for inspecting step ladders and providing replacements when defects were identified. Checking ladders is an essential aspect of safely managing work at height, and I hope today’s prosecution sends a clear message to others."
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