Companies Fined over Fall at WorkBirmingham worker suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung
A Birmingham company has been fined £100,000 with £22,000 costs after a worker suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in a 33-foot fall.
The man had been replacing a gearbox in a condenser unit at the James Road, Tyseley, premises of Veolia Environmental Services Birmingham (VESB).
A contractor, Hansen Transmissions (HTL), of Nile Street, Huddersfield, was fined £70,000 with £22,000 costs. Both admitted breaching safety regulations.
Said Health and Safety Executive inspector Paul Smith: 'This incident resulted in serious injuries which could so easily have been fatal. The man involved is lucky to be alive.
'Falls from height are serious, and are the major cause of fatal injuries across all industries.
'The system used by HTL was plainly unsafe - men, working 10m and more up in the air, were manoeuvring bulky plant using inappropriate methods, on and above an inadequate working platform, with markedly inadequate protection from the drop beneath.'
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