Firm fined over worker's fall through skylight

Date:

18 March 2011

Release No:

COISE/1803

An engineering manager was seriously injured after plunging through a factory skylight at a Milton Keynes plastics manufacturer, a court heard.

Barry Brice, 44, of Wavendon Gate was measuring a damaged skylight at Alpla UK Ltd's premises in Lasborough Road, Kingston, Buckinghamshire when it gave way and he fell seven and a half metres onto the floor of the tool room below.

The incident happened on 16 November 2009 when Mr Brice climbed onto the roof alone to take measurements of the skylight, which had been damaged in an earlier incident.

As he leaned forward onto the skylight it shattered and Mr Brice fell through the panel almost 25 feet to the floor below. He suffered a fractured wrist and finger, broken ribs, cuts and bruising and was off work for nine weeks.

Alpla Ltd, of Bridge Street, Golborne, Warrington pleaded guilty to regulation 4(1) and 9(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court.

The company was fined £3,200 and ordered to pay £4,145 in costs in the case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

HSE Inspector, Karl Howes, said:

"Mr Brice was incredibly lucky he was able to walk away from this when so often, falls from this sort of height are fatal.

"This incident was entirely preventable and demonstrates what little control there was at the Alpla site. Mr Brice should never have been allowed alone to venture onto the roof.

"Falls through roofs during maintenance tasks are a well-known risk. This case highlights the need for employers to consider the risks associated with this practice and have proper systems in place to control them."

Last year more than 4,000 workers suffered major injuries as the result of falls from height and 15 lost their lives. Information on preventing injuries is available at www.hse.gov.uk/falls.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states "Every employer shall ensure that work at height is - (a) properly planned; (b) appropriately supervised; and (c) carried out in a manner which is so far as is reasonably practicable safe."
3. Regulation 9(1) of the Work at Height regulations 2005 states: "Every employer shall ensure that no person at work passes across or near, or works on, from or near, a fragile surface where it is reasonably practicable to carry out work safely and under appropriate ergonomic conditions without his doing so."

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News & PR (South East)