Aidan Lavery undertook preparatory work for the the installation of a domestic lift in a two-storey house in Tandragee. He created the opening between the first and ground floors on a Friday in preparation for the lift to be installed the following Monday.
However, he failed to fix a temporary cover across the opening. Over the weekend the householder fell through it, suffering severe back and limb injuries.
At Newry Crown Court yesterday (4th February), Aidan Lavery was fined £10,000 plus costs of £1,500 after previously pleading guilty to a charge brought against him by the Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland.
After the hearing, Anne Cassidy, an inspector with HSENI’s major investigation team, said: “We would remind all employers, sub-contractors and sole traders that they have a duty to ensure the safety of members of the public as well as their employees. A member of the public has suffered extensive life changing injuries which need not have happened if some very basic precautions had been taken.”
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