A tower crane hire company has been fined £54,000 after a worker fell two metres when the podium steps he was working on toppled over, leaving him with two fractured vertebrae.
Cambridge Magistrates’ Court heard that, in November 2017, the worker was welding metal components while working at height on a set of podium steps which had been taken from another factory. The steps toppled over, causing the employee to fall.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to follow its internal procedures, and did not carry out a risk assessment nor determine a safe system of work. The podium steps had been modified with the addition of incorrect feet, contrary to the manufacturers’ instructions. Stabiliser bars had also not been fitted and workers had not been trained in their correct use.
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