Ladder fall fine

Prosecutions and Claims |
01.10.2006

An employee's fall from a ladder has landed Manchester-based Monton Fencing with a £1,900 fine and £1,800 costs. In February 2005 Neil Johnson climbed a ladder to fill a diesel tank on a platform that was around 2.75m above the ground. He fell approximately 2.5m, probably from the ladder, shattering his heel bone. Monton Fencing had failed to complete a risk assessment of the tank and had not provided any means to prevent falls from height. The company pleaded guilty at Trafford Magistrates' Court to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, for which it was fined £1,200, and Regulation 13(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, for which it was fined £700. After the accident, following a suggestion by the diesel tank driver, the company fitted pipework costing just £25 to allow the tank to be filled from ground level.