Chesham-based Lamps & Tubes Illuminations Ltd had been contracted to put up bunting in the town.
Employee Ryszard Zolyniak, aged 44 at the time, broke his arm and lost several teeth when he fell five metres from a ladder.
Aylesbury Magistrates Court heard yesterday (10 April 2013) that an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) established that a Lamps & Tubes director had been to the site and told Mr Zolyniak and his co-worker to use the ladder, even though two other employees working nearby were using a cherry picker.
The company’s own written procedures said that the use of a ladder was unnecessary when a safer, more suitable way of working was available.
Lamps and Tubes Illuminations Ltd, of Springfield Road Industrial Estate, Chesham, was fined £5,950 and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs after admitting breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
After the hearing HSE inspector Stephen Faulkner said: "Falls from height pose a frequent risk for Lamps and Illuminations Ltd employees due to the nature of the company’s work. So the bunting project should have been better managed.
"The company had in place a written set of procedures, which included not using ladders if another more suitable method of working at height was available. However, these were seemingly overlooked on the day of the incident, resulting in painful injuries for Mr Zolyniak that could have been avoided."
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