Companies fined £90,000 after fall leaves employee unable to work

Three companies have been fined a total of £90,000 after a worker was seriously injured when he fell nearly 6m from a platform with unguarded rails.

Southwark Crown Court heard that on 4 March 2013 two workers accessed the top level of a unit which was to be dismantled as part of construction work at a site in Westferry Road, London.

One of the workers slipped and fell over the side of the platform, hitting the wall and then landing on the concrete floor below. He sustained injuries including internal bleeding, a collapsed lung and fractures to his pelvis and right arm. He has been left unable to work.

Meta Management Services Ltd (trading as Aktrion), of Edinburgh, which was the principal contractor for the project, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 22(1)(c) of the Construction, Design & Management Regulations 2007 and was fined £9,000 with £1,942 in costs.

Goss Graphic Systems Ltd, of Preston, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 13(2) of the Construction, Design & Management Regulations 2007, and Regulation 4 of the Working at Height Regulation 2005. It was fined a total of £27,000 with costs of £7,000.

Beck & Pollitzer Engineering Ltd of Dartford, Kent, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 4 of the Working at Height Regulation 2005 and was fined £54,000 with costs of £14,000.