HSE prosecutes following fall from height fatality

E028:06 14 March 2006

Henderson General Services Ltd, a construction company based in Putney, London, was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,296, at the Old Bailey on Monday 13 March 2006. The prosecution, brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), followed its investigation into the death of Mr James Grimes who died when he fell from a ladder while he attempted to access a scaffold.

Speaking after the case, HSE investigating inspector Simon Hester, said: "This death could easily have been avoided if the company had ensured safe ladder access to the scaffold. A simple and cheap action, such as installing a gantry for example, would have prevented the death of Mr Grimes and the grief suffered by his family and friends. Any contractor or site foreman reading about this case should be sure to check that proper ladder access is in place for the scaffold on their site."

Mr Grimes, a 63 year old from Southfields near Wimbledon, was employed to paint the exterior of a building in Queens Gate Terrace, London, SW15, when he fell 4.25 meters. He had been attempting to climb over a balcony railing from his ladder on the construction site in Queens Gate Terrace, London, SW15.

Henderson General Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

"We're not saying this work is no-risk - it still needs to be carried out by trained workers using appropriate controls. Licensing is an additional check on high-risk work and should reflect changing knowledge about risks to remain credible."

Notes to editors

1. In 2003/04 there were 38 fatalities to workers in the construction industry due to falling from a height, an increase of 5 from 2002/03.

2. Information on managing work at height can be found on the HSE website at: www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

3. Information about the work of HSE's Construction Division can be found on the HSE website at: www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm

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