Two companies have been fined after an electrical apprentice fell through a roof while installing CCTV in Weymouth.
The then 20-year-old had been working for electrical contractor Tristan G Murless Limited at one of its sites at a commercial industrial estate on 13 July 2022.
He had been using a makeshift crawling board when he fell around 11 feet through a fragile roof to the concrete floor below.
The incident took place on the roof of a lean-to attached to a main warehouse. The project involved the installation of electrical cables and conduit around the perimeter of the warehouse in readiness for the installation of CCTV.
The victim lost consciousness at some point prior to the arrival of the ambulance and could not feel his body. He was unable to walk temporarily after the incident and sustained injuries to his back, including muscular tissue damage which requires physiotherapy.
An HSE investigation found that Tristan G Murless Limited failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees, by failing to properly plan and provide suitable equipment to prevent the fall through the fragile roof.
A second company – surveyors Ellis and Partners (Bournemouth) Limited – was also fined after they failed to comply with a HSE demand to produce documents to assist its investigation into the incident.
Tristan G Murless Limited of Weymouth, Dorset pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £4,168 in costs at Bristol Magistrates Court.
Ellis and Partners (Bournemouth) Limited of Bournemouth, Dorset also pleaded guilty and was was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £1,200 in costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Rebecca Gittoes said: “Every year, a significant proportion of incidents, many of them serious and fatal, occur as a result of poor work at height planning.
“In this case, a young man at the start of his career was failed by his employer.
“Had the company suitably risk assessed the task, provided suitable work equipment and a safe system of work, this incident would not have happened.”
from Construction Enquirer https://ift.tt/yeIha5v