

A company has been fined £9,400 after its employee fell from a lorry bed while unloading it in South East Wales.
The worker suffered multiple fractures following the fall from height at the premises of Braithwaite Engineers in Risca, Monmouthshire in October 2017.
Cwmbran Magistrates Court heard how his injuries, which included fractures of the head, ribs, shoulder blade and fingers, led to the employee missing more than five months of work.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company, which manufactures steel water storage tanks and supporting towers, had failed to provide employees with suitable and clear instructions and training so that staff did not access lorry beds in an unsafe manner.
Braithwaite Engineers pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was ordered to pay costs of £1,680.75.
Speaking after the case HSE inspector Will Powell said: “Falls from vehicles can be overlooked by employers when considering risks from work at height. Simple measures would have prevented this accident.”
Earlier this year, the all-party parliamentary group on working at height published a report making four recommendations to reduce the overall number of falls.
These included the introduction of an enhanced reporting system through RIDDOR, the appointment of an independent body allowing confidential reporting of all near misses and an equivalent system to Scotland’s fatal accident inquiry process extended to the rest of the UK.