A glazing firm has been sentenced at Sheffield Magistrates' Court, after a worker fell from a ladder fracturing his lower leg.
The Court heard that the window installer, working for H.P.A.S. Limited, and trading as Safesyle UK, was attempting to install a first-floor rear bedroom window at a property on Cemetery Road, Doncaster, when the ladder he was climbing on slipped. The ladder was not footed or tied and the operative fell from a height of over three metres, sustaining a broken knee cap which required surgery.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the company's system for planning work at height was inadequate, and that it failed to ensure such work was carried out in a safe manner. Windows were routinely not installed from the inside and ladders were used in a way that caused serious risks. There was also no system of monitoring or supervision in place for installers.
Safestyle UK pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations SI 2005/735 and was fined £850,000 with £1,083 in costs.
Commenting on the incident, HSE inspector Stuart Whitesmith said: "This incident could easily have been prevented had the company implemented reasonably practicable precautions.
"Such precautions include having effective and enforced safe systems of work, whereby windows are installed internally where possible, or by using suitable access solutions which provide edge protection, and having a formal system in place to ensure works are appropriately supervised.’"
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