A carton manufacturer has been fined after a contractor suffered fatal head injuries after falling through a broken skylight.
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 27 October 2017, a contractor working for Landor Cartons Limited at Devon Street, Birmingham, suffered fatal head injuries when he fell six metres through a broken skylight in the roof to the factory floor below.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that the company failed to assess the risks of working at height and failed to implement a safe system of work giving consideration to the hierarchy of control found in the work at height regulations.
Landor Cartons Limited of Devon Street, Birmingham pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulations 4 (1) and 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The companyhas been fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,569.52.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Christopher Maher said “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. In this case the duty holder failed to properly assess the risks and introduce a system of work that could have easily prevented this death. Duty holders have a duty to protect not only their employees but also their contractors.”
