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A company has been prosecuted after a worker was seriously injured when he fell more than six metres from scaffolding.
R J Scaffolding (Bristol) Limited of Central Business Park, Hengrove, Bristol pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company has been fined £26,000 with more than £1,657 in costs.
Bristol Magistrates' Court heard how the employee was in an induced coma for two weeks after falling more than six metres from the scaffolding on 02 June 2016.
He suffered serious injuries, including losing the sight in his right eye and five fractures to the skull.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the worker was untrained, while the supervisor was unfamiliar with the current expected safety techniques. In addition, the appropriate equipment had not been provided to the worker to carry out the work safely.
HSE inspector Ian Whittles said: "We want all workers to go home healthy and safe. Those in control of work have a responsibility to ensure safe methods of working are used and to inform, instruct and train their workers in their use.
"If industry recognised safe systems of erecting scaffold had been in place prior to the incident, the life changing injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented."
(LM)
