If you don't provide your employees with the equipment they need, it can pose a serious safety risk to them, and a serious legal threat to your business. AU Roofing and Building Ltd found this out the hard way after one of their employees sustained serious injuries. We've got the inside scoop on the story for you here.
Back in October 2018, a team of employees from AU Roofing and Building Ltd were working on a roof in Elmes Avenue, Kent. The team of roofers were required to carry buckets of materials by hand down the scaffold access ladder to the street level below.
One particular employee, Davey Battams, struggled to keep 3 points of contact with the ladder as he descended down the ladder, and fell the remainder of the way onto the pavement. Battams suffered serious back injuries and was unable to continue working.
The HSE investigated this accident and was able to determine that the employer hadn't provided the basic lifting equipment aids that should be in place for tasks such as this. A simple wheel and pulley would have given workers a safer way to lower the broken tiles while dramatically reducing the chances of an accidental fall.
In court, AU Roofing and Building Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 and the court issued them a fine of £28,800!! On top of this, they were also ordered to pay legal cost amounting to £4,213.70.
At SafetyLiftinGear, we know that the right equipment could have prevented this accident from ever happening, and while we can't go back and change the past, we can advise you on how to work safely in the future. Here are just a few different pieces of equipment that AU Roofing and Building Ltd could've purchased to lessen the risk of a fall.
Our ladder fall protection kits are designed to keep you tethered to the ladder, preventing an accidental slip or fall from height.
Designed to take the pressure completely out of your hands, our powered scaffold hoist can move cumbersome items from on top of the scaffold to ground level safely.
These simple, manual pulley systems can take the strain of heavy items and lower them to safety, leaving your hands free to grip the ladder.
When you need to lift or transport important materials you'll find the following lifting solutions safe and easy to use.
If you can't find a lifting solution that fits the requirements of your upcoming job, don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Our friendly sales team will talk you through various different lifting options to help you find one that's right for the task at hand.
A Doncaster based construction firm has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £803 in legal costs after one of their young workers suffered a serious fall.
The unnamed 18-year-old employee was working on the first floor of a house being built in West Butterwick, Scunthorpe. The worker was using a trowel to remove mortar from some breeze blocks when he stepped backwards and accidentally fell through an unguarded stairway. The injuries he sustained from the fall include; two fractured ribs and contusions.
The HSE investigated the incident and concluded that Trumax Building Ltd had not put the required safety precautions in place. Neither a proprietary guardrail system or traditional scaffold guardrails were used to prevent people from falling through the opening.
Trumax Building Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The HSE Inspector who handled this case said:
'This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out the correct control measures and safe working practices, particularly to protect young and inexperienced workers. In this case, someone suffered serious injuries that could have been avoided by installing guardrails around the stairway opening to prevent workers from falling from height.'
Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we work tirelessly to provide the PPE and equipment required to keep workers safe while working at height. Our Height Safety category features a range of products that can ensure safety whether your line of work is construction, tree surgery, or any other profession.
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