After one steeplejack fell from a height of nearly eight metres from a church roof, the severely injured man has filed a work accident claim.
The forty year old worker fell from the Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent roof of Holy Trinity Church while working for Hampton Street’s Alliance Technical Services Ltd, according to his accident claim. The ladder of the steeplejack had failed when its anchor gave way from the brickwork of the church.
At a hearing of the Magistrates’ court in Newcastle-under-Lyme, judges were told that the worker plummeted to the ground below and was then rushed to hospital, where he spent three weeks recuperating from two broken ankles, a spinal fracture, and a broken wrist, among other injury claims.
The steeplejack, who asked not to be identified to the media, has since not been able to return to work due to the severity of his injuries.
After the Health and Safety Executive successfully prosecuted the steeplejack’s employer, the Magistrates’ Court fined Alliance Technical Services £3,334 after accepting the company’s plea of guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. The firm was ordered to pay court costs of £4,000 as well.
A Health and Safety Executive inspector commented following the hearing that Alliance Technical Services had neglected to provide both adequate tuition and training on the testing and installation of the type of anchors used to secure ladders to the sides of buildings.
Statistics indicate that workers falling from height are one of the most prevalent causes of severe personal injuries in the UK. Many workers, like the unnamed steeplejack injured by his recent fall, will continue to successfully pursue personal injury compensation claims from their employers.