Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard that, on 28th February 2019, the worker and two others were building the mezzanine floor at a site in Neepsend Lane, Sheffield. The injured person stepped on a loose board and fell 2.8-metres to the ground below, sustaining cuts and bruises.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that safety nets had not been put in place before boarding began. There was no other fall from height protection to prevent or mitigate falls through the mezzanine floor.
Wayne McKnight (trading as RJE Construction) Park Crescent, Sunning Dale, Ascot, Berkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2015. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,300
HSE inspector Sarah Robinson said after the hearing: “Falls from height often result in life-changing or fatal injuries, which thankfully did not eventuate here. In most cases, these incidents are needless and could be prevented by properly planning the work to ensure that effective preventative and protective measures are in place.
“This incident could have easily been prevented if the company had installed safety nets prior to work starting on the mezzanine.”
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