A building firm has been ordered to pay nearly
£15,000 after inspectors found employees working at height were not
protected from falling off buildings.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector found
the edge protection was not enough to prevent employees falling,
even though falls from height is one of main causes of death in the
industry.
The Basildon-based firm admitted breaching
Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at
Caerphilly Magistrates Court, and was fined £10,000 and ordered to
pay £4,514.25 costs.
HSE inspector David Kirkpatrick said: "When we
visited the site, we found clear failings that left workers at risk
of falling from height, and it was necessary to stop all activity
above ground floor level until safe systems of work were put in
place."
Statistics from 2008/2009 show 21 people working in
construction died from a fall greater than two metres high, out of
a total of 53 deaths across the whole industry.