A 27-year-old employee of Tower Hire (Services) Ltd, who asked for his name not to be revealed, fell five metres through a fragile roof while installing scaffolding on a commercial building in Worcester.
A skylight gave way when he stood on it. He broke his pelvis, elbow and wrist, and has not been able to return to work since the October 2009 incident.
During the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, Worcester Magistrates' Court heard that the employee had not been told by his employers that the roof was fragile. He had been given no information or training on how to recognise fragile roofs or on the risks involved with working on them.
Tower Hire (Services) specialises in the hire and erection of aluminium access towers and has accreditation from the SAFEcontractor scheme. It operates from premises in Warrington and Wakefield. On its website, the company says that it prides itself on giving customers professional and technical advice on issues relating to working at height.
HSE inspector Paul Humphries said: "Tower Hire Services left the labourers to plan how to do most of the job themselves and as a result, one of the company's employees was seriously injured in an entirely avoidable incident that could have been fatal.
"When falling from height remains the biggest cause of deaths within the construction industry, it is unforgiveable that this firm failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment or method statement for the work.
"Any company planning to carry out work at height needs to take proper precautions to prevent incidents of this kind from happening. HSE guidance is freely available online, so there is no excuse."
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