Work accident leads to fine for blacksmith and fabricator
Personal Injury 14 Dec 2011
A blacksmith and fabricator in Aberdeenshire has been fined after an employee was severely injured following a fall from height.
Martin Mundie, 23, who worked for defendant Joseph Adams, fell seven metres from a roof, through a skylight and onto a concrete floor.
He sustained a broken arm and wrist, which required a skin graft and two operations.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Mr Adams had not assessed any of the risks involved in the work Mr Mundie was undertaking, nor had he given his workers any safety provisions while working on the roof.
Mr Adams was fined £4,500 after pleading guilty at to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Commenting on the case, HSE inspector Alan Mackinnon stated: “Mr Mundie has been left with significant and lasting injuries that could easily have been avoided if Joseph Adams had thought about the obvious risks involved when working on the roof.”
Falls from heights are one of the most common causes of
work injury in the UK and employers must have in place comprehensive safety plans based upon thorough risk assessments to prevent unwanted accidents.
Published by Tessa Jones
