Builder and council fined nearly £15,000 after fall

Self-employed builder Neil James and Denbighshire County Council were fined a total of £14,800 after a construction worker fell nearly 5mfive metres through a fragile roof at a farm in Rhuddlan.

Wrexham Magistrates Court heard that David Evans was “lucky to escape with his life”. But his knee was broken in five places and his shoulder dislocated. He also suffered , with Evans also suffering arm injuries.

James, who himself suffered a fall about 10 years ago, was fined £1,000 with £500 costs. The council was fined £8,000 with £5,300 costs for failing to ensure adequate safety measures were in place at Bryn Gwyn Farm, which it owns.

With falls accounting for nearly 25% of all deaths across all industries, the Health & Safetyand Safey Executive (HSE) is again urging employers to carry out proper risk assessment at sites, and to use safety nets, crawling boards and edge protection –- the latter was not in place on the farm site.

HSE inspector Debbie John said: “Despite his injuries, Evans was lucky to escape with his life.

“There are too many fatalities resulting from falls, and often from a much lower height than 4.9 metres.”

[Contract Journal, 18 October 2006, p 2]