The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an employee was killed when he fell from an unstable ladder.

Manchester Crown Court heard that the employee was working on a project to build six new semi-detached houses in Bolton, on 19 December 2007 when he fell five metres to the ground.

HSE’s investigation found that the company had allowed work to be carried out on the first and second floors of the house, before the stairs had been fitted. The ladder, which was used to reach the second floor, had not been secured and was missing its rubber feet.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the employees safety. The company was ordered to pay an additional £7,500 towards the cost of the prosecution as well as the fine.

The HSE’s Principal Inspector for Greater Manchester, said:

"This was a tragic incident that could easily have been prevented if the company had put more thought into the safety of its employees.

The ladder used was dangerous as the rubber feet were missing and it wasn’t tied to the wall to stop it slipping.

But more importantly, the employee should never have been expected to use a ladder in the first place. If the work had been planned properly, the stairs would have been fitted before work was carried out on the first and second floors of the house.

Instead the employee had to use a ladder to access the second floor, putting his life at risk. Other employees were also put in danger by the unprotected open edges.

I hope this case will act as a warning to other house building companies to improve their safety standards, to prevent more people dying at work in the future.”