• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
    • Export
    • Delivery Information
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Brands
      • Little Giant Ladders
      • Xtend+Climb Telescopic Ladders
    • Ladder Safety
      • Industry Guidance
    • Events
    • Company Policies
      • Anti-Bribery, Anti-Corruption & Ethics Policy
      • Community & Charity Policy
      • Environmental Policy
      • Privacy Policy
      • Health & Safety Policy
      • Management of Equality & Diversity Policy
      • Welsh Language Policy
    • Warranty
      • TB Davies Warranty Registration
      • Little Giant Warranty Registration
      • Xtend+Climb Warranty Registration
  • Products
    • Pro-User
      • Accessories
      • Combination Ladders
      • Ladders
      • Loft Ladders
      • Podium Steps
      • Scaffold Towers
      • Step Ladders
      • Step Stools
      • Warehouse Steps
      • Work Platforms
    • Little Giant Ladders
    • Xtend+Climb
    • Specialist-Access
    • Home-User
      • DIY Ladder Accessories
      • Combi Ladders
      • Garden Ladders
      • Loftladders
      • Scaffold Towers
      • Stepladders
      • Stepstools
  • Support
  • Training Academy
  • About
  • Become a Distributor
  • News
  • Contact Us
TB Davies™

TB Davies™

Making working at height as safe as standing on solid ground

Home » News » Employer Fined After Worker Suffers Spinal Injury In Ladder Fall

Employer Fined After Worker Suffers Spinal Injury In Ladder Fall

February 12, 2011

Michael Wilson proprietor of M Wilson Commercials has been fined £4,000 after one of his employees fell from a ladder and broke his back. The family-run firm has been trading for thirty years and carries out body repairs, building work and maintenance on commercial vehicles.

The court was told that the staff member broke vertebrae in his spine and almost a year after the accident is still unable to work.

The man, who does not want to be named, climbed up a ladder at the firm’s site at Leyland in Lancashire, to reach the release mechanism for a lorry cab.

South Ribble Magistrates’ Court in Leyland heard how the ladder that was not footed, suddenly slipped, sending the operator tumbling to the ground on March 3 last year.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided to prosecute following the incident following an investigation that found the ladder had feet missing at both ends. The ladder was in a poor state of repair with a damaged bottom rung and it appeared to have been cut off at the top.

Mr Wilson admitted breaching Regulation 5(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to make sure the ladder was well maintained. He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,000.

Matt Lea, the investigating inspector at the HSE, said: “One of Mr Wilson’s employees was badly injured because he was given an unsafe ladder to use. It should have been checked in advance to make sure it was suitable. The employee had not received any training on working at height or with ladders, despite regularly needing to do it as part of his job. He therefore simply used the nearest available ladder.”

He added, “Sadly, this worker is just one of hundreds of people who are injured every year as a result of falling from ladders. Falling a short distance can still result in someone being seriously injured.”

On average, 12 people die every year after falling from ladders in British work places, and more than 1,200 suffer major injuries. Ladders remain a safe and quick method of access providing the equipment is suitably maintained, the job properly risk assessed and adequate training provided. These simple measures cannot only save employers thousands in compensation claims but save lives.

Filed Under: News

Footer

Follow Us:

TB Davies on LinkedIn   TB Davies on Twitter    TB Davies on YouTube    TB Davies on Facebook   TB Davies on Instagram

Directions
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 8:30-17:00
Friday 8:30-15:00
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Telephone: +44(0)29 2132 0000
Fax Number: +44(0)29 2070 2386

Links

Industry Sectors
Whitepaper on Ladder Standards
Heritage

Support

Standards & Technical Information
Terms & Conditions
Returns

Sign Up to Newsletter

VAT Registration No. GB134144207
Registered in England No. 534073
EORI. GB134144207000
XI-EORI XI134144207000

Copyright © 2021 TB Davies (Cardiff) Ltd. Registered Offices: Lewis Road, Cardiff, CF24 5EB, UK | Investors in People Silver Award