Metal company prosecuted after employee falls from height

Metal company prosecuted after employee falls from height

Manchester Galvanizing Ltd, a manufacturer of coated metals, was fined after an employee suffered a fractured foot and shoulder after falling three metres from a ladder into a drying pit.

Trafford Magistrates’ Court heard that an employee was working in the galvanising area when a metal post fell from the jig of an overhead crane and into a dryer.

The employee used a wooden ladder in an attempt to retrieve the post but the ladder broke causing him to fall three metres into the bottom of the dryer pit.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and decided to prosecute the company. HSE told the court the company had failed to ensure that work at height was properly planned, supervised or carried out in a safe manner.

Manchester Galvanizing Ltd was fined a total of £6,000, with costs of £1,248, after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.