The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Leeds company after a worker plunged two metres and fell onto a concrete floor during urgent refurbishment work.

In January 2009, bottle maker Allied Glass Containers Ltd requested that a maintenance team open up a mezzanine floor, so that faulty equipment could be removed and replaced at its factory at South Accommodation Road, Hunslet.

Workers opened up a three-square-metre gap for equipment to be transferred using a block-and-tackle pulley system. The gap was subsequently left open in case adjustments were required before the maintenance team took a break.

One worker was called back to the upper level after a problem with equipment was identified. However, he lost his footing and fell through the gap, falling two metres onto the concrete floor below.

The employee sustained multiple injuries, including fractures to his back and skull, as well as bruising to his brain and kidney.

He spent 11 days in hospital and has been unable to return to work.

HSE inspectors discovered there was no risk assessment for creating the hole in the floor –and no precautions were taken to prevent a fall.

On Wednesday (03/02/10) at Leeds Magistrates’ Court, Allied Glass Containers Ltd pleaded guilty to a Section 2(1) breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for failing to ensure the safety of workers from the risk of falling from height.

The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,173 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Paul Yeadon said that someone could easily have died as a result of the circumstances of the maintenance work.

‘This incident was completely preventable with a simple risk assessment and a bit of common sense in planning the job.

‘Allied Glass has lost a valued, experienced employee, who is still recovering from his injuries. He should never have been allowed to fall.

‘We have continued to engage with the company and it is reassuring that lessons appear to have been learned, with improvements now in place to prevent future falls.

The company has since taken measures to ensure the flooring need not be lifted for maintenance work of this type.

The prosecution of Allied Glass Containers Ltd coincides with the launch of the HSE’s hard-hitting campaign Shattered Lives, which aims to reduce slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

More information about the campaign is available at www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives.

© 5r1 Limited 2010