TDG fined for health and safety breach

TDG UK has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £2,400 costs after one of its drivers was seriously injured when he fell down an unguarded and unlit stairwell.

The logistics company pleaded guilty at Halton Magistrates' Court to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act following the accident in November 2007. It says it has now redoubled its efforts to provide a safe working environment for all staff.

The court heard that the unnamed driver arrived for work at the company's site in Runcorn and was sent to collect a trailer from the nearby Acton Grange site in Warrington, arriving at around 4.30am. After reversing his cab onto the trailer, he began inspecting the vehicle when he fell down the stairwell. The driver was taken to hospital and was operated on to repair lung damage. He was off work for 10 weeks.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) said that similar stairwells on the site had steel railings to guard the opening and with operational lights.

HSE inspector Gill Chambers says: "Falls from height remain one of the main causes of workplace injuries. This incident would not have happened had proper monitoring and maintenance been carried out on site. Since the incident, the company has introduced new systems of working."

A TDG spokesman says: "We are very sorry for what has happened. We have learnt from this incident and have redoubled our efforts to ensure that our employees operate in a safe environment."