Bovis Lend Lease fined £5,000 for injury to worker

Following a prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Bovis Lend Lease was fined £5,000 and required to pay costs of £7,632 after a 38-year-old employee of one its subcontractors was injured in a fall on 11 February 2005 at a site in Leeds.

Bovis pleaded guilty yesterday at Leeds Magistrates Court to charges brought by the HSE under Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The man fell from an unguarded working platform at the Bridgewater Place construction site while working on one of the three concrete cores of the building. He shattered his ankle in the fall.

The magistrate reportedly said that Bovis Lend Lease were only 20% to blame for the accident, with the balance of responsibility lying with the subcontractor RCG and the injured worker.

HSE inspector Sarah Hague said: "This case demonstrates all too clearly how anyone working at height is at serious risk of injury if proper precautions are not observed and regular rigorous inspections are not carried out."

She continued: "In this instance the working platform was unguarded with disastrous results for the unfortunate employee. A much greater awareness is needed among employers, employees, and indeed the public in general, something which has been underlined by HSE's recent nationwide Height Aware campaign."