It has emerged that on 3rd December 2012 an unnamed 22 year old broke his left ankle and wrist, two vertebrae, fractured his pelvis and tore ligaments in the incident in Highbury, North London. The trainee employee suffered multiple fractures in an eight-metre fall from a roof and as a consequence The HSE (Health & Safety Executive) prosecuted Nature’s Power on 7th August, after identifying a number of safety failings by the company., according to a report in HPV online. It is not clear if any employers liability insurer is involved.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told that, as part of installation work for a wood-burning stove, the firm had been fitting a flue liner down the chimney. While balanced at the top of the access ladder against the house, the trainee was attempting to slide together an extendable roof ladder. Following the Health & safety Executive investigation, it was found that the access ladder was not long enough to clear the guttering and therefore did not extend to a point where he could step off safely. It pulled him off the access ladder when the roof ladder began to slip away in his hands and there was nothing for him to hold on to help him regain his balance, he fell three storeys causing serious injuries.

It was reported Nature’s Power, who are based in Rickmansworth, was found guilty in absentia of two separate breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay a further £5,840 in costs. Keith Levart, an HSE inspector, said: “It was clear the access ladder had been used unsafely and that Nature’s Power had failed to plan the work properly, taking into account the specific issues that arose from using that site. “If used correctly, access and roof ladders can provide safe access to chimneys. However, this one could not clear the guttering, which led to this entirely preventable incident and a trainee worker suffering serious injuries. It is only a matter of good fortune that these injuries were not fatal. There is no shortage of advice and information about safe use of ladders. Where necessary, there is ancillary equipment available such as adjustable ladder stays, and straps for securing it to the building.”

It is common knowledge that cheap plumbers liability insurance is available that caters for employers liability which, apart from motor insurance is the only compulsory policy applied in law as of writing. Information on safe working at height can be found online at www.hse.gov.uk/falls.