Braithwaite Engineers was recently fined after one of its employees sustained serious injuries after a significant fall while working at their site in the town of Risca, located in South East Wales.
On October 25th, 2017, a Braithwaite employee fell from a lorry bed while unloading and suffered multiple fractures to his body, including to his head, shoulder blade, ribs, and fingers, forcing a medical absence of five months from work.
The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) investigation concluded that Braithwaite Engineers had not offered suitable and clear instructions or training to ensure employers carried out this specific activity in a safe manner—something that would ordinarily be expected as part of an employer’s Duty of Care.
Braithwaite Engineers, of Units A & B Leeway House, Leeway Industrial Estate, Newport, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in Cwmbran Magistrates' Court and were fined £9,400 (€10,533) and ordered to pay costs of £1,680.75 (€1882).
After the case, HSE inspector Will Powell made the following statement: "Falls from vehicles can be overlooked by employers when considering risks from work at height. Simple measures would have prevented this accident."
To find out more about health and safety at work, see our blog post: Health and Safety at Work: 28th April 2016 is Workers’ Memorial Day.
