A Birmingham firm has been fined £7,000 for safety failings after a worker fell from a ladder.

Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that wood machinist Alan Sweet was working at A Edmonds and Co Ltd’s factory in Constitution Hill when the incident happened on 29 August 2014.

He was removing redundant electrical cabling and conduits within the factory's roof space, working off one half of an extendable ladder footed by a colleague. He was using both hands to saw through a large section of pipe when he overbalanced and fell around 3.6 metres to the floor below.


Mr Sweet, 55, of Great Barr, broke eight ribs, five of them in three places, cut his head, broke a finger and suffered lacerations to his shin, knee and elbow.

He has since returned to the company.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found neither Mr Sweet nor his colleague had any experience or training for work at height, and the equipment was not suitable for the task in hand. The company failed to organise, plan and appropriately supervise work at height.

A Edmonds and Co Ltd was also ordered to pay £1,198 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

(CD/MH)