Prosecutions

The 27-year-old man, who was employed by the firm was fixing scaffolding to a section of roof at a commercial premises in the city on 16 October 2009.

As the man, who has asked not to be identified, stood on a skylight it gave way and he plunged almost five and half metres to the floor below, breaking his pelvis, elbow and wrist. As a result of his injuries the man has not been able to return to work.

During the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, Worcester Magistrates' Court heard the man had not been told by his employers that the roof was fragile.

The court was also told that the firm had failed to give the worker any information or training on how to recognise fragile roofs or on the risks involved with working on them.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £6,644 costs.

Commenting after the case, a HSE inspector said:

"This company left the labourers to plan how to do most of the job themselves and as a result, one of the company's employees was seriously injured in an entirely avoidable incident that could have been fatal.

"When falling from height remains the biggest cause of deaths within the construction industry, it is unforgiveable that this firm failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment or method statement for the work.

"Any company planning to carry out work at height needs to take proper precautions to prevent incidents of this kind from happening. HSE guidance is freely available online, so there is no excuse."