Klarius fined £8,000 after worker breaks back
Staffordshire-based manufacturer Klarius UK has been fined £8,000 after one of its workers fell more than two metres from a scaffold tower. Barry Derbyshire broke his back and was immobilised for more than six weeks after the accident.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates' Court heard that Derbyshire had been stooping down to try and locate an oil leak when he stood up and possibly overbalanced, falling off the edge.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed there had not been a guard rail on one edge of the scaffold as it was felt it would interfere with access to the machines.
Klarius UK, which is based at Brookhouses Industrial Estate in Cheadle, pleaded guilty to breaching a regulation of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. As well as being fined, the company was also ordered to pay £1,892 costs.
HSE inspector Lynne Boulton said: "Barry Derbyshire did nothing wrong but as a result of this fall, he's been left with life-changing injuries. The company had a clear lack of appreciation of risk.
"If Klarius UK had used the right equipment and ensured there were guard rails on the scaffolding, it would never have happened.”
HSE said that falls from height were responsible for almost 400 major injuries in the West Midlands in 2008/09 with 78 in Staffordshire alone.
