HSE/LON/010/08 11 November 2008

Shopfitters fined £20,000 after man falls from tower scaffold

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning shopfitters to have correctly assembled mobile tower scaffolds after a worker fell three metres from unprotected scaffolding at a new shopping centre, in Enfield, on 15 September 2006, and suffered serious head injuries. E&F Joinery, based in Hailsham, East Sussex, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey, (Central Criminal Courts), to three breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £20,000 and was also instructed to pay costs of £11,895.

Helen Donnelly, HSE Inspector said: "This incident resulted in the injury of a worker, which should never have been able to happen. Falls from height remain the most common kind of accident resulting in severe injuries. Companies involved in refurbishment, building or maintenance should ensure that the work is planned properly and sensible measures taken so that workers are not exposed to risk. This case graphically illustrates that work should be planned, and that scaffolding should be checked to have the adequate edge protection."

The prosecution followed an incident that took place during the fitout of a shop as part of the construction of Enfield Shopping Centre. The injured person was working from a mobile tower scaffold while fitting ductwork for a shop when he fell three metres onto a concrete floor. He suffered serious head injuries, which consequently lead to deteriorating physical and mental health.

The HSE inspection showed that while the injured person was not working directly for E&F Joinery, they were in control of the work and for planning and supervising it. It also showed that the tower scaffold did not have the correct edge protection on it, and it was also not inspected before use. Both of these measures would have helped prevent the injured person from falling.

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 4(1)(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states that: "Every employer shall ensure that work at height is - (a) properly planned".
2. Regulation 8(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states that: "work should comply with the schedule outlining edge protection".
3. Regulation 12(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states that: "scaffolding towers should be inspected before use".
4. HSE information and news releases can be accessed on the Internet http://www.hse.gov.uk/
5. Further information about preventing falls from height can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR London. For more information please contact Matthew Hall on 020 7261 8343, matthew.hall@coi.gsi.gov.uk