Six metre fall breaks solar company employee's back

If one of your workers manages to fall through a roof, fall a further 6 metres, and in the process seriously injures his back, you know there's going to be consequences, and that's exactly what happened to Alternative Energy Installations Limited.

A 20-year-old employee was installing solar panels on a barn roof when the roof gave way and he fell through it. Safety measures including safety netting and crawling boards were not in place and the HSE prosecuted the company's technical director Ian Black. The company has since gone into liquidation.

Alternative Energy Installations Limited was ordered to pay a £30,000 fine and £27,000 in costs. Ian Black was fined £7,300 and ordered to pay £6,700 in costs. The injured man was in hospital for four weeks and is thought to be in constant pain and suffers from depression.

To avoid such accidents from happening your team needs to be fully trained. Why not book a Work at Height course with us and ensure the safety of your employees and ultimately your company.

Source: HSE