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Contractor prosecuted after injury to himself and co-worker
Sohail Hussain trading as Haris Signs has been prosecuted and ordered to pay £2k in fines and prosecution costs following the incident in which he suffered injuries to his knee and the other man suffered a fractured wrist and dislocated elbow.
The incident occurred at the Metro Inn, Stockton on 19 November 2009 where Mr Hussain had been hired by the manager to repair a wind-damaged sign above the entrance to the hotel.
Extension ladder and tower scaffold arrangement collapsed
A 4.5m scaffold platform was erected with an extension ladder on the platform to reach the sign at over 8m from the ground.
Mr Hussain carried out the repair work from the ladder, while the other man stood on top of the platform with nothing to prevent him from falling from the edge.
The platform collapsed in high winds causing both men to fall onto the hotel car park below.
Ladder on platform was “ridiculous and unacceptable”
After the case, HSE Inspector Jonathan Wills said: “Both Mr Hussain and the other man are lucky to be alive. The platform erected by Mr Hussain bore no resemblance to the correct standard.
“This incident was entirely avoidable and should not have happened. Not only was the scaffold unstable due to its height to base ratio, but it also did not include anything to prevent workers falling from its edge, such as guard rails.”
“The decision by Mr Hussain to support the ladder on top of the platform was ridiculous and utterly unacceptable. Had he used mobile elevated work equipment, such as a scissor lift, or a tied in scaffold, then this potentially fatal incident could have been avoided.”