Prosecutions

The Nottingham based company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to protect its employees.

An employee was setting up abseiling equipment to paint one of the chimneys with two other workers at a Power Station, when he fell through an open grating in a platform on the chimney on 13 March 2008. He fell 34 metres and died at the scene.

In a separate incident, on 14 August 2009, two employees were performing maintenance on the rocks below Nottingham Castle. To reach some debris on a ledge, they attempted to abseil down but did not use a safety line. The first worker reached the ledge safely, but the second worker, who has asked not to be named, experienced an uncontrolled descent, falling between eight and ten metres to the ground and breaking a bone in his back.

Leicester Crown Court heard the company had failed to make sure the work at both locations was carried out safely putting several employees at serious risk. At the castle, the company also failed to ensure the work was properly supervised. At the power station, it had also failed to make a proper assessment of the risks and to properly manage and monitor the work.

The company pleaded guilty to one charge in relation to the death of the employee at the Power Station and one charge in relation to the incident at Nottingham Castle. As well as the fine, the company was ordered to pay £32,000 costs.

A HSE inspector commented:

"The work at the power station required careful planning and assessment of the risks involved. Tragically, the company failed to make sure the rigging of the ropes was done safely and the result was the needless death of an employee.

"At Nottingham Castle, the two men should not have been allowed to abseil with the ropes they used, but the company failed in its duty to properly supervise the work to make sure it was carried out safely. Luckily the injured man has since made a full recovery but his injuries could easily have been much worse.

"Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and it's crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and that sufficient measures are put in place to protect staff from the risks."

Also reported by SHP Online.