A firm has been fined £25,000 after a delivery man was badly injured from falling six metres down a lift shaft at a Brighton construction site.
David Homewood was delivering a kitchen unit to a new block of luxury flats when he stepped over a roll pack of insulation and fell down the unguarded shaft.
The 53-year-old from Eastbourne suffered a fractured spine, bruised lungs and a fractured pelvis during the incident at Ocean Heights, Roedean Road. He was in intensive care for six days and hospital for a total of four weeks.
His walking is impaired and he has been unable to return to work since the incident.
The court also heard that advice was given to Brighton Construction Ltd after an inspection by the Health and Safety Executive five months before the incident. The inspector concerned wrote to the company requiring that any openings in the floors should be protected with guardrails.
Brighton Construction Ltd, of Maria House, Millers Road, Brighton, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 at Lewes Crown Court. It was fined a total of £25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £15,000.
Medico-Legal News Source: Claims Management Magazine
