Firm fined £1,500 for worker's accident injury

A construction firm has been fined £1,500 after one of its employees had a work accident.

Ian Allan Building Contractors Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after Kevin Clark fell more than four metres from scaffolding that had dislodged.

Consett Magistrates Court fined the company, of Jesmond Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, and instructed it to pay costs of £1,500. The firm admitted that it was guilty of breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

On May 1st 2009, Mr Clark suffered a personal injury in the incident in Murton, County Durham and was hospitalised for two weeks as a result.

He said: "I took it for granted the scaffolding I was working on was safe. If it had been checked properly the incident never would have happened and I wouldn’t be left with the injuries I have to live with now."

In addition, another construction company was prosecuted last year after an employee suffered burns in the workplace. O’Keefe Construction (Greenwich) Ltd, of Dreadnought Street, Greenwich, London, was fined £20,000 by Sevenoaks Magistrates Court.

Posted by Hannah Carr