July 30, 2019 10.35 am This story is over 55 months old

Firm fined after junior bricklayer fell through stairway opening

He suffered two fractured ribs and contusions

A construction company was fined £10,000 after a junior employee received two fractured ribs falling through an unprotected stairway at a site in West Butterwick, Scunthorpe.

Trumax Building Ltd was sentenced earlier this month for safety breaches after an employee under the age of 18 fell 2.62 metres through the stairway opening at a site on May 18, 2018.

Sheffield Magistrates Court heard how the operative was working on the first floor of a house being built at a development property on North Street.

He was using a trowel to remove excess mortar from the back of breeze blocks when he stepped backwards and fell through an unprotected stairway opening onto the concrete floor. He suffered two fractured ribs and contusions.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Trumax Building Ltd had failed to install a proprietary guardrail system or traditional scaffold guardrails around the perimeter of the opening.

The company from Kelfield, Doncaster pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The firm was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £803 in costs.

After the hearing HSE inspector Stuart Whitesmith said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices, particularly to protect inexperienced workers.

“In this case someone suffered serious injuries which could been easily avoided by installing guardrails around the opening, to prevent workers falling from height.”