The dangers of working at height have been highlighted after a firm was prosecuted following an employee fall, painters liability insurance holders have been told.
Klarius UK, based at Brookhouses Industrial Estate, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined ?8,000 with costs of ?1,892.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates Court heard how Barry Derbyshire, 61, from Cheadle, was carrying out routine maintenance on a machine when he fell from a scaffold tower.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that there had never been a guardrail on one edge of the scaffold as it was felt that it would block access to the machines.
Lynne Boulton, HSE inspector, said: "Barry Derbyshire did nothing wrong, but as a result of this fall, he?s been left with life-changing injuries. The company had a clear lack of appreciation of risk."
Last month, Robert and Eric Murray were prosecuted after a worker suffered a crushed skull in a six-metre fall.