A scaffolding company has been prosecuted after a worker sustained serious injuries during work to erect scaffolding at a barn in Driffield, Yorkshire.

Acorn Scaffolding (Yorkshire) Ltd of Moxon Way, Moor Lane Trading Estate, Sherburn in Elmet has been fined £33,333.33 with over £14,638 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Hull Crown Court heard how the company were erecting scaffolding on a barn at Lockington Grange Farm, Driffield in May 2013.

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However, during the work an employee fell around four metres through a fragile roof light on an asbestos cement sheet roof. He sustained several injuries, including the dislocation and fracture of his right wrist, crushed nerves in his left wrist, broken nose and sprains to his shoulder and ankle.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Acorn did not identify that workers were working on a fragile roof, so they failed to put in place any measures to prevent falls through the fragile surfaces.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Jayne Towey said: "Working on a fragile roof carries a risk of a person falling through it. This is a known risk within the industry and this accident could have been prevented.

"Such measures would include ensuring that suitable guard rails are erected to prevent a person accessing the fragile roof area."

(LM/MH)