Safety & Health Practioner recently reported on a Work Fatality Claim that resulted in a substantial fine for the farm after an employee was crushed during demolition project

“A construction company has been fined after an employee died as a result of falling from a mobile tower.

Sean Harding was working from a mobile tower levelling a steel beam that was seated on a door lintel on 15 September 2017, Cambridge Magistrates Court was told. This involved using a crowbar to lever the beam up for a work colleague to insert a metal packer into the gap. Mr Harding caught his jacket sleeve on the tower, lost balance and fell over a single guard rail and down to ground level. He was taken to hospital but died three months later due to medical complications.

The HSE’s investigation found that the mobile tower wasn’t configured correctly for the task due to the limited headroom and that double guard rails could have been used, if configured correctly.

Peter Saunders Builders Ltd of Tennyson House, Cambridge Business Park, Cambridge pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8 (a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £16,000 with £5,139.80 costs.”

Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known, but are so easily avoided. As work accident claims specialists we are appalled by any workplace accident, let alone a fatality. Our Personal Injury Lawyers are here to help you, if you’ve experienced any kind of injury in your workplace that wasn’t your fault.

If you think you have a claim please get in touch and we will work to get you the maximum compensation possible.