Company fined after worker fractures back and ribs following fall

A company has been fined after a worker fractured his back and ribs following a fall from a house in Cheshire.

Renka Limited, a company hired to supply and install windows, doors, and frames at a property in Frodsham, Cheshire, has been fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £3863.25 in costs after one of its employees suffered fractures to his back and ribs following a fall from a house. 

The incident occurred on 31 August 2021 when the worker, who was 35 years old at the time, fell approximately five meters from a platform made by Renka workers using the boards from a tower scaffold that was too large to be positioned in the area where it was needed.

“The incident could have been prevented by the adequate planning of the work and the provision of suitable equipment for work at height, together with relevant training and instructions,” said HSE inspector Sara Andrews. 

“It is fortunate that the injuries suffered by the employee were not far more serious, or even fatal.”

According to an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Renka Limited failed to adequately plan the work at height and provide suitable work equipment to enable the work to be carried out safely. 

“Renka Limited failed to adequately plan the work at height and failed to provide suitable work equipment to enable the work to be carried out safely,” the HSE report stated.

The investigation also found that the company’s employees had not been provided with any instruction on how the work should be carried out and had not been provided with adequate training for working at height. 

“The company’s employees had not been provided with adequate training for working at height,” the report stated.

Renka Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 20 February 2023.