The lad, not yet 18, fell 2.6 metres onto the concrete ground floor at a site in West Butterwick, Scunthorpe.
Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 18th May 2018, the operative was working on the first floor of a house being built at a development property on North Street. He was using a trowel to remove excess mortar from the back of breeze blocks, when he stepped backwards and fell through an unprotected stairway opening. He suffered two fractured ribs and contusions.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Trumax Building had failed to install a proprietary guardrail system or traditional scaffold guardrails around the perimeter of the opening.
Trumax Building Ltd of Kelfield, Doncaster pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £803 in costs.
HSE inspector Stuart Whitesmith said after the hearing: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices, particularly to protect inexperienced workers. In this case someone suffered serious injuries which could been easily avoided by installing guardrails around the opening, to prevent workers falling from height.”
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