TEESSIDE SCAFFOLDER
Well-known member
Falls from height remain a problem 29 February 2012
Falls from height remain a considerable problem in the workplace and cause more deaths in the construction industry than any other accident.
When victims of such incidents do not lose their lives they are often left with serious injuries, so all measures should be taken to ensure that these accidents are prevented.
One of the recommendations for those working on scaffolding is that guard rails are put in place to prevent falls and the consequences of not doing so have been highlighted in a recent case.
A man was left with a broken back after he fell from a height of nine metres while he was carrying out some work.
He was working on a mobile tower as he installed a steel staircase when he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
The worker sustained two fractured vertebrae which led to him not being able to work for nearly seven months due to the injury.
Instructions which had come with the scaffold tower had not been followed in order to maintain workers' safety and industry guidelines had also been flouted, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found upon inspection.
Further to this the platform was not rigid enough to provide a stable base from which employees could work and guard rails were not fitted to the apparatus.
Kevin Wilson, an inspector for the HSE, said: "The system of work in use at the time of the incident put operatives at risk of falls into the stairwell from the landings, the part installed staircase and from the mobile scaffold tower and supporting platform which did not provide a safe working platform."
Two companies were prosecuted for the breach: the first one pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees, fined £8,000 and ordered it to pay costs of £4,000.
The second pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 for failing to plan, manage and monitor construction in a way that ensured it was carried out without risks to health and safety. Magistrates fined the firm £6,000 with costs of £3,000.
Falls from height remain a considerable problem in the workplace and cause more deaths in the construction industry than any other accident.
When victims of such incidents do not lose their lives they are often left with serious injuries, so all measures should be taken to ensure that these accidents are prevented.
One of the recommendations for those working on scaffolding is that guard rails are put in place to prevent falls and the consequences of not doing so have been highlighted in a recent case.
A man was left with a broken back after he fell from a height of nine metres while he was carrying out some work.
He was working on a mobile tower as he installed a steel staircase when he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
The worker sustained two fractured vertebrae which led to him not being able to work for nearly seven months due to the injury.
Instructions which had come with the scaffold tower had not been followed in order to maintain workers' safety and industry guidelines had also been flouted, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found upon inspection.
Further to this the platform was not rigid enough to provide a stable base from which employees could work and guard rails were not fitted to the apparatus.
Kevin Wilson, an inspector for the HSE, said: "The system of work in use at the time of the incident put operatives at risk of falls into the stairwell from the landings, the part installed staircase and from the mobile scaffold tower and supporting platform which did not provide a safe working platform."
Two companies were prosecuted for the breach: the first one pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees, fined £8,000 and ordered it to pay costs of £4,000.
The second pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 for failing to plan, manage and monitor construction in a way that ensured it was carried out without risks to health and safety. Magistrates fined the firm £6,000 with costs of £3,000.
