Midland Firm Fined For Work Accident

It has been revealed that a Wolverhampton company has been fined £8,000 after a 40-year-old worker smashed onto a concrete floor fracturing his skull, when he fell six metres from an overhead crane.

As a result the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) took MES Environmental, of Crown Street; Wolverhampton, to court last week, over the serious work accident.

MES Environmental, as a result, was fined a total of £8,000 and ordered to pay £3,532.55 in legal costs by Wolverhampton Magistrates Court after the firm pleaded guilty to breaching Health and Safety regulations.

The employee suffered serious personal injuries due to the fall, which happened in June 2008. It is understood that he was working on the cross travel beam of the crane to clean built up dirt when he fell, suffering multiple fractures to his skull, several broken ribs and a broken collarbone.

The worker stayed in hospital for several weeks after the incident due to doctor's concerns over swelling on his brain, and has not since returned to work.

The case has forced the HSE to call upon employers to ensure that they assess the risks of falling from height in the workplace. Making proper plans for work to be carried out at height and supervising the work adequately, were points that were noted as a suitable to limit such incidents.

The HSE investigating inspector, David Evans, said: "Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury, but the vast majority of these accidents are preventable if companies assess the risks properly.

"The most common causes of falls from height involve failure to recognise a problem, provide safe systems of work, ensure that these systems are followed and provide adequate information, instruction, training or supervision."

He added: "There really is no excuse for this. HSE has published a wealth of advice and guidance for employers to help them reduce the risk of such injuries and has recently launched the "Shattered Lives" campaign to raise awareness of slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

Building a strong case for work regulations

Many other employers have also been warned to properly protect their staff from work risks and have been encouraged to discourage aloof work ethics.

Grahame McCraig, a general manager of a construction company, understands all too well the importance of safety regulations in the workplace. He is responsible for the livelihoods of 15,000 labourers and another 1,200 employees, many of whom work from height.

He noted that safety is not just an ethical concern, but an important part of running a successful business, and when it comes to working from height - excuses just don't cut it.

"If anybody says health and safety costs money, I get really upset. You do have to put money in, but that investment in the medium and long term will give you a return on your business and it will positively contribute to your bottom line," he said.

He sums up the HSE's feelings towards work regulations and safety: "You have a moral obligation to treat people correctly. Aside from that, you want people to concentrate on what they do. If you are providing welfare or health and safety standards that are not in accordance with international standards, people are not going to be happy and there is going to be distraction."

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