A company has been prosecuted after a worker was seriously injured when he fell through a roof opening at a flat in London.

West Hill Projects Ltd of Seymour Road, London pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It has been fined more than £95,604 with over £988 in costs.

Hammersmith Magistrates' Court heard how the employee was working next to a large opening in a flat roof on Wandle Road, London on 05 December 2016.

He fell around 3.3 metres through the opening to the ground below and suffered four fractured vertebrae, a fractured rib and a scalp wound. As a result, he was unable to work for several months following the incident.

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A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found West Hill Project had failed to take any measures to prevent people on site falling through the opening. People had been working in the area in the days beforehand and the company had not properly planned the project.

HSE Inspector Owen Rowley said: "The risks associated with work at height are well known throughout the construction industry. West Hill Projects Ltd failed to control the risk on site and one of its workers suffered serious injuries as a result.

"It is vitally important that those in control of work at height implement suitable and sufficient measures to prevent falls. The simple step of installing edge protection around the opening could have prevented this incident from occurring."

(LM/MH)