Pages On: Falls from Heights
Workplaces hold a duty of care to their staff to prevent accidents. Falls from heights are some of the most dangerous and preventable forms of accident at work. If your employer has failed in their duty of care to you, and you have suffered a fall from a height, it may be lucky if you walk away with your life. They are the top cause of fatal injury at work, and are a blight in construction and agriculture industries. If you or a loved one has suffered a workplace injury and are not at fault, you may be entitled to claim personal injury compensation for the employer negligence.
Warehouse worker wins damages after fall from height causes him to lose leg
Posted: 30 August 2015
Posted in: Falls from Heights, Foot Injuries, Leg Injuries, Workplace Injuries
A warehouse worker from Plymouth has been awarded more than £500,000 in compensation after falling from a height, causing him to have his leg amputated. 47-year-old Mark Jeffery fell while cleaning out the guttering of his employer’s Plymouth-based premises ten years ago, leaving him with a shattered leg, ankle and foot. Following a total of thirteen operations to recover his leg, eight years later Mr Jeffery was forced to have his lower leg amputated. Before his accident, Mr Jeffery was described as a ‘fit and active man’, always taking part…
Read More
Mother sues over son’s shattered dreams
Posted: 26 July 2014
Posted in: Armed Forces Injuries, Falls from Heights, Head and Brain Injuries, Workplace Injuries
The mother of a young man who had dreamed of a career in the Royal Marines since a young age is suing them for over £1million after her son fell during a dangerous training exercise. The exercise required the men to complete a high-level assault course called ‘Tarzan’. When 19-year-old James Cobby reached the stage known as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, he fell 7m hitting a high-tension cable on the way down. Mr Cobby (now 22) suffered life-changing injuries from the fall and will require 24hr care for the rest of his…
Read More
Company fined for worker's injuries
Posted: 18 April 2013
Posted in: Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Foot Injuries, Hip Injuries, Spine & Back Injuries, Workplace Injuries
A self-employed roofer has been fined after an employee suffered major injuries falling through a skylight at a Nuneaton industrial estate. The employee was re-cladding the asbestos roof when he fell seven metres to the factory floor below. He fractured his pelvis, back and foot and was unable to work for several months. The self-employed roofer was responsible for the work and was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found he failed to do enough to prevent or mitigate the fall. He was fined £1,000…
Read More
A quarter of construction sites fail safety inspections
Posted: 9 April 2013
Posted in: Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Workplace Injuries
Inspectors for the Health and Safety Exective recently carried out a month-long exercise to improve standards in the construction industry – one of the most dangerous industries in Britain. They made unannounced visits to construction sites in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk to ensure companies are managing high-risk activity, such as working at height. They also checked for general good order, assessed welfare facilities and checked whether personal protective equipment, such as head protection, was being used appropriately. A total of 17 of the 71 sites they inspected were found not…
Read More
Workman fined for friend's fall through roof
Posted: 20 March 2013
Posted in: Arm Injury, Employer Negligence, Falls from Heights, Workplace Injuries
A self-employed maintenance worker has been fined after a friend, who was helping him on a job, fell through the roof of a disused factory. The injured man, in his forties, suffered a broken elbow when he fell three metres through the asbestos cement roof at a disused rubber factory in the Forest of Dean. HSE found that the maintenance worker, who was employed to dismantle the roof of the building, did not plan the work properly or have any safety equipment in place that might prevent or mitigate the…
Read More