Safety Signs News

Fall from height could have been prevented, says HSE inspector

13th April 2011 | Health and Safety Signs

The importance of health and safety signs in the workplace has been highlighted after a man died following a fall from a height at work.

The man fell from a scaffold loading tower platform while working at Glasgow Academy, later dying from the injuries he suffered.

On inspection, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there was no safe system in place for loading materials onto the loading tower, and no suitable assessment of the risks had been made.

The investigation also found that the loading tower did not have sufficient guard rails and toe boards, and had not been inspected on a regular basis.

Glasgow Sheriff Court fined both companies involved, Robert Construction Central Ltd and Stirling Stone Ltd, £200,000 each for breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

John Shelton, a HSE inspector said that the incident was "entirely preventable" and wouldn't have happened had proper precautions have been taken.

"There is no excuse for the contractors not to have agreed procedures as to how this work was to be done and ensured that this routine work was carried out safely."

HSE figures show the need for health and safety signage, as there were over 4,000 major injuries arising from falls from height in workplaces 2008/09. ADNFCR-2754-ID-800498551-ADNFCR