Two firms fined £120,000 after death fall

Two construction firms have been fined a total of £120,000 following a fatal fall from height.

Darren Handley, 36, from Dudley, died after falling 7m from a tower scaffold in 2004 while working on the recladding of a Scottish Courage warehouse at Lodge Farm Industrial Estate, Northampton.

The top rail of the scaffold was missing and the tower was placed at an angle on a weak support base.

Smethick-based cladding firm Spanclad was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 costs, while main contractor Westminster Building Co, based in Derby, was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 costs.

Both firms had already pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety legislation.

HSE inspector Richard Lockwood said: "This tragedy could easily have been avoided if the two companies had properly planned the work to ensure adequate safety measures were in place for people working at height."