Roger Smith Installations has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of over £1,200 after a worker fell from scaffolding in Warwickshire.

The employee was working on a soffit and fascia installation at Stirling Avenue, Cubbington on 3 April 2014.

The platform he was standing on fell from the ladder brackets which were supporting it, resulting in the worker falling four metres.

His injuries included a bleed in his brain along with damage to his lungs and ribs.

Nuneaton Magistrates Court heard that the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) investigation discovered the equipment the company provided was not adequate.

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The apparatus was being used with no guardrails or toe boards and it was also not installed in line with the manufacturers instructions.

Roger Smith Installations was found guilty of breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

HSE Inspector Ed Fryer said: "Falls from height remain the most common form of workplace fatality. There is no excuse for not planning work at height properly or ensuring the appropriate safety equipment is used. Access equipment used for working at height should always be installed in line with manufacturer’s instructions.

"This equipment had no guard rails to prevent a person from falling and it could have easily cost this man his life.

"It is vital to ensure that equipment is in good order as structural failures can have terrible consequences."

(LM/MH)