A Cheshire building firm has been fined after a plasterer broke his back when he fell three metres during the construction of a six-bedroom house.
CB Homes Ltd, working on the development in Little Budworth, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found the company had failed to make sure adequate guard rails were in place on the first floor landing to prevent falls.
The plasterer had needed to use a ladder to reach the first floor, and there was no guard rail in place along the open edge on the landing. He slipped and fell to the ground floor below.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Laura Moran said:
"A plasterer suffered serious injuries in the fall which could, and should, have been prevented."
"As the principal contractor on the site, CB Homes was responsible for making sure work at height could be carried out safely. If the company had planned and supervised the work properly then it could have made sure guard rails were in place."
CB Homes Ltd, of High Street in Tarporley, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £1,376 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations SI 2005/735.
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