A 17-year-old worker was injured only a few weeks into his first job after falling through a roof light.
The worker suffered multiple factures and internal injuries after stepping through a warehouse roof light and fell seven metres to the floor below. He had only been working for the company for a few weeks when the incident occurred during May 2009.
The Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the company had told the worker to go onto the warehouse roof and clean out the guttering, however he was left unsupervised and the task was unsafe.
The company was fined £28,500 and ordered to pay costs of £9,359 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety etc. Act (1974), Regulation 3(1) (a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
The investigating inspector from the HSE said: "There is no reason why this job could not have been carried out safely if the company had planned and supervised it properly. The horrendous injuries suffered by this young man could have been avoided if the safety risks had been managed and a safe method of work put in place. Young, inexperienced workers cannot be expected to be aware of risks or have knowledge of safety controls. It’s the employer’s responsibility to put in place measures to ensure their employees’ safety at work."
The workers mother said: "16 months since this horrific accident, he still bears the physical and mental scars that have had a tragic effect on his life, and the pressures of this have torn our family apart. His accident was directly due to the lack of supervision, training and safety management of his employers. He should never have been placed in such a vulnerable position and he will now have to carry this with him for the rest of his life."