Two companies have been prosecuted after a worker fell from the top of a work platform in London.

Sager Construction Limited (SCL) of Sager House, 50 Seymour Street, London, W1H 7JG pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. It has been fined £34,000 with £6,577 in costs.

Shaun Dixon Services Ltd (SDSL) of Warwick House, 116 Palmerston Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, IG9 5LQ was found guilty of breaching Regulation 13 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 at an earlier date. The company has since entered liquidation and has been fined £160,000 with £15,119 in costs.

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Southwark Crown Court heard SCL had been appointed the principal contractor for the construction of a shopping centre and residential units in Studd Street, London.

A 64-year-old employee of formwork contractor SDSL was working to install a primary beam in the basement on 19 February 2015 when he fell from the top work platform.

His injuries included fractures to both of his feet and deep cuts to his head and arms.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that workers were allowed to work off scaffold boards which were in a poor condition. In addition, the companies involved tolerated particularly poor practices in relation to work at height while erecting the formwork.

HSE inspector Gabriella Dimitrov said: "The worker is lucky to have not sustained more serious injuries as a result of this fall from height.

"It is entirely foreseeable that accidents will occur where work at height is being carried out without suitable work platforms and other measures to prevent workers from falling. HSE will take action to ensure that duty holders are held to account for any failings."

(LM/MH)