Work at height warning following prosecution for death of employee

The Health and Safety Executive has warned the construction industry of the dangers of working at height after an employer was fined £15,000, following the death of a worker.

Christopher Lucas from Bennetts End, Hemel Hempstead £15,000 pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after his employee Steven Sinclair, from Watford, fell four stories while replacing windows.

Sinclair and another man were replacing double-glazed windows in a London residential apartment block for Lucas, who runs a double-glazing replacement firm called Four Seasons, when the accident occurred.

As the men lifted the glass into place, they and the glass fell 11m to the ground. Sinclair was taken to hospital but died later that day.

Following the trial, at the City of London Magistrates Court, HSE inspector Lisa Chappell said: "This case highlights once again the absolute necessity for work at height to be properly planned, and for equipment such as guard rails, barriers or harnesses to be used where appropriate."