The Government’s Health and Safety Executive has made the decision to prosecute a building firm based in Warwickshire after one of its workers sustained serious injuries in an accident at work involving a fall from height, work accident claim experts recently said.
Frederick Stuart, sixty two years of age, had been employed by Sibbasbridge Ltd, a building company that had been tasked with performing work at a Tiddington construction site when the incident occurred, according to accident claim experts familiar with the case. Mr Stuart, who is from Stratford-upon-Avon, said in a personal injury compensation claim that he had been standing on a scaffolding board that collapsed under his feet, sending him falling nearly two and a half metres down to the ground.
The HSE, which investigated the incident, told Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court that Mr Stuart suffered a deep cut to his left thigh and fracturing his pelvis in two separate places after his fall was arrested suddenly by a wooden joist. The man’s injuries were serious enough for him to miss work for six months straight in order to facilitate his recovery, and he now has permanent scarring to his left thigh as well.
The industry watchdog uncovered in its investigation that the building firm had neglected to have any protection fitted to the edges of the scaffolding. The HSE additionally found that there had also been a complete lack of bags, netting, or any other type of safety equipment, to soften the impact of a fall.
The building company made the admission that it had been breach of certain health and safety regulations covering working at height at Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court, leading to a fine of £12,000.