West Sussex company RH Phillips & Sons Ltd has been fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £1,600 costs, plus a £15 victim surcharge at Chichester Magistrates' Court in a case brought by the Health and Safety Executive.

R H Phillips & Sons Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. This follows an HSE investigation into an incident in June 2007 when an employee, John Dennis suffered fractured ribs following a fall from the top platform of the unguarded mobile tower scaffold.

-- Advertisement --

The Court heard that Mr Dennis had received no training or instruction from his employer on the use of tower scaffolding.

HSE Inspector, Russell Beckett, said: "Last year 45 workers died following a fall from height and 3,750 were seriously injured.

"Reducing this unnecessary injury toll is a priority for everyone. As well as the law, there is plenty of advice and guidance to help employers reduce the risk of a fall from height. Mr Dennis, would not have suffered serious injury if his employer had heeded this."

The HSE investigation also found that the persons setting up the scaffolding tower were not suitably competent to erect or dismantle tower scaffolding, and the scaffolding itself was unfit for use in a work activity.

The prosecution comes at a time when HSE is running its "Shattered Lives" campaign aimed at reducing the number of slips, trips and falls across a range of industries.

(JM)