A company and its director have been convicted after an employee fell from height, resulting in serious injuries in both his arm and leg.
While replacing guttering and supplying fascia boards and soffits for Profascias Ltd at Park Lane Primary School in Reading, the worker slipped from a ladder to the ground. He spent 16 days in hospital due to a fractured left femur, left elbow, left arm and pelvis. He also had a bolt added to his hip and metal plate to his arm in surgery.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and found insufficient planning had been taken for the work at height. Although a safe platform, such as a properly erected scaffold, should have been supplied since workers require both hands to complete the work, this was not the case. Ladders should only be used for access or, in the case that it is not reasonably practicable to provide safer working platforms, for short-term work of up to 30 minutes where workers can normally maintain three points of contact.
The company and director were guilty of breaching the Work at Height Regulations SI 2005/735. The HSE inspector Rachel Newman noted that "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".
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