Wirral council has been fined £6,000 after a worker suffered a fractured collarbone and broken ribs when a stepladder collapsed beneath him.
The employee was attempting to access a loft space at the council-operated Dale Farm site in Heswall, Wirral, when the incident occurred. As he neared the top of the stepladder, it gave way, causing him to fall.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the council had failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees by not adequately controlling the risks of working at height and the use of ladders.
The investigation identified failures in the council’s management of work-at-height activities. Ladder use was not effectively controlled, and despite identifying ladders that were not in good repair and unsafe to use, they remained in place, accessible to any employee who wanted to use them. Furthermore, employees had received no training in assessing whether a ladder was safe to use.
Wirral MBC pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £4,000 in costs at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (11 August).
