Page 1710 - Xmo Strata - Bulletin Archive

Safety, Health, Environmental & Quality Bulletin No 645

08 November 2018

Fall From Canopy

A Devon based steel fabrication company has recently been fined £12,000 when a young employee fell
though the canopy of a petrol station in Barnstaple.

The 19 year old employee was on his first day of working on the site, replacing the canopy roof.

Whilst assisting another worker, he took a few steps off the walkway and fell 7.5 metres through the
sheeting onto the concrete forecourt below. The young worker suffered serious head injuries, a broken
pelvis and a broken wrist as a result of the fall.

The HSE investigated and found the work was not properly planned, appropriately supervised or carried
out in a safe manner.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regs 2005, and has been
fined £12,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,228.70.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Nicole Buchanan said: “This young man’s injuries were life-
changing and he could have easily been killed. This serious incident and devastation could have been
avoided if basic safe guards had been put in place.

“Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities and injuries in this
country and the risks associated with working at height are well-known.”

See HSE press release http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2018/october/steel-fabricator-fined-after-fall.htm

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