It is tragic that despite the fact it’s now easier than ever to source superb quality and cost-effective fall protection systems to help protect workers who operate at height, safety lapses still occur. The consequences of these mistakes can be devastating.
In some cases, people are seriously injured, while in others, employees lose their lives. Of course, there are then the legal and financial implications to deal with, and there is the reputational damage to consider too.
Firm fined over safety failings
One company that knows only too well about problems like this is WDS Green Energy. Recently, it was sentenced for failings after a teenage employee fell nearly six metres through a fragile roof at a children’s activity centre on Cantref Adventure Farm in Brecon.
The incident occurred in February of this year and it resulted in 18-year-old Joshua Harry suffering severe bruising to his back.
Fine issued
During a hearing at Brecon Magistrates’ Court, the company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws and it was fined £12,000, as well as being ordered to pay over £4,000 in costs.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the firm had not carried out adequate planning for the work and there were no height safety measures in place, such as crawler boards, netting or harnesses.
A major cause of death
Commenting on the case, HSE inspector David Kirkpatrick said: “Mr Harry is a very lucky man indeed not to have suffered far worse injuries, or even death, in a fall from this height. Workers falling from heights are a major cause of death and injury in the construction industries – so it is crucial that working at height is planned, managed and controlled properly.
“Even when plans are made for working at height, employers must ensure these are carried out properly on site. The steps for preventing workers from falling through fragile roofs are simple and are well known in the construction and maintenance industry. It is imperative that companies take sensible precautions to prevent incidents like this from happening.”
Come to us
Here at Heightsafe we’re experts when it comes to issues like this and we should have the perfect solutions for your firm. We offer a comprehensive range of products designed to minimise the risk of worker falls and as also provide full system design, development, installation and maintenance of these safety systems.
Quick turnaround
Once you’ve resolved to boost height safety within your company, you’ll no doubt want to achieve this ASAP. Thankfully, we offer one of the fastest turnaround times in the industry for a comprehensive quote and, if you give us the go ahead, we’ll set to work straight away.
So, if you think your organisation could benefit from what we have to offer, why not take a look around the rest of our website or get in touch with our friendly and professional team? Whether you’re after horizontal lifeline systems or anything else, we should be able to help you.