Scaffolding company fined after safety breaches

A scaffolding company has ended up in court after a 16-year-old apprentice joiner fell four metres from a platform and suffered serious injuries.

Sheffield Magistrates Court sentenced Bland Scaffolding Ltd after it was decided safety breaches led to the injury. The apprentice was passing roof tiles from a loading bay in 2016 when his foot caught in a gap between the scaffold platform and the bay itself. They fell under a single guardrail to the ground and sustained a fractured cheekbone, broken wrist and rib injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the loading bay edge protection did not include an intermediate guard-rail or toe board.

Bland Scaffolding Ltd of Old Ship House, Wath Road, Elsecar pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and were fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £918 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Trisha Elvy said: “This case highlights the importance of following well known industry guidance to design and erect scaffolding in a safe manner, a fall from this height could have easily been fatal.”

Though the blame here lay with the scaffolding company, it also highlights the importance of ensuring edges and fall risks are adequately protected with guardrail. Our KeeGuard systems cover a wide range of scenarios and provide collective edge protection where necessary.

For more information, call us on 01293 529977 or use our online contact form.