A construction company has been fined £100K after a scaffolder fell 4m through an opening.
Construction firm Structural Metal Decks Limited (SMDL) has been fined £105,000 after a scaffolder was left paralysed following an accident at a building site in Kilsyth, Scotland.
The Scaffolder suffered injuries to his spinal cord and is now paralysed from the neck down following the incident.
Airdrie Sheriff Court heard how Structural Metal Decks Ltd had been sub-contracted to lay metal deck flooring by John Graham Construction Ltd who were building a new health centre in Kilsyth. On 22 April 2015, a scaffolder was moving scaffolding components when he stood on a section of decking which had been put in place by SMDL. The decking sheet gave way and the man fell more than four metres to the ground.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the metal deck sheets on the first level of the building had not been secured properly and the access to the first level of the decking was not adequately controlled allowing non-decking workers onto the deck.
Structural Metal Decks Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 3 (1) and 33 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were fined £105,000.
Speaking after the verdict, HSE inspector Graeme McMinn said: “This is a tragic incident, which has had a devastating effect on a young man’s life. The accident could have been avoided if the Structural Metal Decks Ltd had taken appropriate safety precautions and ensured the decking sheets were properly secured.”
