A carpentry and joinery company has been fined after an employee sustained injuries to his leg and elbow after falling 3.5 metres to the ground. The man was working unsecured on the forks of a forklift truck when the incident occurred.

The worker was cleaning office windows from height, but the stillage on the forks of the forklift truck were not secured, leading to the stillage tipping and the worker plunging to the ground.

The HSE investigated the accident, concluding the company’s failure in identifying the method of using a stillage for lifting on the forks of a forklift truck was unsafe. This method had been used before by the company and employees were also found to have not been trained properly on the dangers associated with work at height without the correct equipment and without completing proper risk assessments.

Staircraft Group Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £6,477.93 in costs.

HSE inspector, Rebecca Whiley, said:

“The employee’s injuries were very serious, and he could have easily been killed. This serious incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”