Company fined £1,750 after worker's fall
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has fined a company after a worker fell 4ft (1.2m) at its factory and suffered serious personal injury.
The waffle company situated in Llandysul, Ceredigion, was fined £1,750 and ordered to pay £1,374 costs.
Llanelli magistrates' court heard that the woman worker fractured a rib falling from a structural girder being used as access for cleaning.
She was cleaning the side of a flour hopper when the incident occurred late 2008. Scott McKinnon, HSE inspector, said the worker had been "exposed to unnecessary risk". In addition to a fractured rib, she also suffered bruising and a cut leg.
The court heard the worker would have fallen nearly twice as far had she not landed on a bulk container directly below.
Mr McKinnon noted that many serious, and sometimes fatal injures are caused by falls from distances below head height.
"The company took immediate action to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future and co-operated fully throughout the investigation," said Mr McKinnon.
McKinnon hoped that this case will serve as a warning to all employers to perform proper risk management and ensure proper access for elevated areas, to reduce work accident claims.Updated on 18/02/2010