A contractor based in Sussex has received a £160,000 following a scaffolding incident in which a 63-year-old worker died, which illustrates the importance of builders liability insurance.
EDF Energy Contracting was penalised at Chichester Crown Court after pleading guilty to breaching regulations 4b and 4c of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was also ordered to pay full costs of £24,594 as a result of the incident, which occurred in August 2007.
Employee James Gordon was dismantling a mobile tower scaffold in the sports hall of Worthing High School in West Sussex, as the company was contracted by West Sussex County Council at the time.
However, the scaffolding, which had been used to carry out high-level maintenance to lighting and heating appliances within the sports hall, had a top platform missing and Mr Gordon fell five metres to the ground, suffering fatal head injuries.
Last week, a 31-year-old worker on a site in Hastings, East Sussex fell from scaffolding and was killed, prompting the launch of an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, which highlights the need for public liability insurance.