One refrigeration and electrical services worker sustained serious injury after falling from a scaffolding at work, according to accident claim experts familiar with the case.
Charles Howie, an employee of Spark’s Mechanical Services Ltd, had been working at a Fraserburgh fish processing factory, having been tasked with removing a refrigeration unit at the factory’s cold store at the time of the incident that led to his personal injury claims. The worker had been in the process of removing the unit from the ceiling of the cold store and had already removed four of the bolts that secured the unit there when at least one of the four remaining bolts failed under the unsupported weight of the unit, causing it to slip from its mooring and crash into the scaffolding.
As a result of the collision, Mr Howie was thrown from the scaffolding and sustained serious injuries. According to the worker’s work accident claim, Mr Howie suffered five broken ribs and a collapsed lung, which necessitated him remaining off work for a total of five months as he recovered.
The Health and Safety Exectutive launched an investigation into the accident, revealing that Mr Howie’s employers had neglected to organise adequate support for the refrigeration unit during its removal. The HSE additionally found that there were no safety railings atop the scaffolding tower.
At a recent hearing related to the incident, Spark’s Mechanical Services Ltd admitted to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was assigned a £10,000 fine for their role in the man’s injuries. One of the largest causes of serious injuries in the workplace, falls from height caused the deaths of 38 workers in the UK last year alone.