Essex car parts manufacturer fined for safety failings

Date:

18 July 2012

Release No:

HSE-E-91

An Essex car parts manufacturer has been prosecuted for safety failings after an employee fell through a mezzanine floor at a Hawkwell factory.

The Auto-Plas worker, who does not wish to be named, required stitches to a hand injury and was off works for two weeks as a result of the incident on 17 May last year.

Southend Magistrates' Court heard today (18 July) that he had been asked to dismantle a mezzanine floor in a production area at Auto-Plas's sister company Benchmark Doors Ltd. He fell backwards through a gap in the floor to the level below, hitting his head on the floor and cutting his right hand as he tried to break his fall.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified that a risk assessment had not been completed for the work, and no measures were taken to protect the employee while he was working at height.

Auto-Plas (International) Ltd, of 90 Main Road, Hawkwell, Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £2502.45 in costs. The company was also asked to pay £200 compensation to the injured worker as well as a £15 victim surcharge.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Keith Waller said:

"This incident was entirely preventable. With some simple planning, the work could have been done from the floor below and a risk assessment for the task should have been completed to assess dangers and identify safety measures.

"The employee suffered painful injuries as a result of a lack of planning and respect for health and safety rules. Working at height is dangerous and employers must ensure they plan ahead to protect their staff."

"HSE will not hesitate to prosecute those who put lives at risk."

Last year (2010-11), more than 1,300 falls from an unspecified height were reported resulting in serious injuries. To learn more about work at height, visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related 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. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states: Where work is carried out at height, every employer shall take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.
3. HSE news releases are available at www.hse.gov.uk/press.

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