Builder and fitter John Ingram was working outside on a project on 3 March 2010 to refurbish an agricultural building in the village of Newgate Street in Hertfordshire. He was using a tower scaffold erected on top of a freight container but fell to the ground while trying to climb down.
Mr Ingram, 55, of Lode in Cambridgeshire suffered facial fractures, cuts and bruising and was in a coma for several days. He was unable to work for eight months after the incident and has since only returned to work on a part-time basis.
His employer, Balsham (Buildings) Ltd, a Cambridge-based structural steel fabricator and cladding contractor, appeared at Watford Magistrates' court yesterday (30 March) and admitted to two breaches of health and safety legislation: Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, for which is was fined £7,000; and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 - Regulation 4(1), for which it was fined £7,000
Magistrates also ordered the company to pay £8,832.30 in costs.
While investigating Mr Ingram's fall, Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors found that the internal works on the project had been planned and undertaken safely, with a scissor lift provided to enable employees to work at height, but the same equipment had not been provided for the external works.
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