HS2 engineer fractures skull and bones in work fall
The worker, pictured in red overalls, was 11m (36ft) in the air when he fell through a gap in the stairs he was climbing
- Published
A man who fell from height at a HS2 construction site suffered a fractured skull, jaw and pelvis.
He was working for EMC Elite Engineering Services in West Hyde, Hertfordshire, when he fell 11m (36ft) through a gap in a stairway, positioned alongside a conveyor belt, on 20 November 2022.
The 57-year-old spent two months in hospital, where he had surgery requiring him to have six plates inserted into his face.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the Essex-based engineering firm failed to ensure work at height was properly planned, supervised and carried out as safe as reasonably practicable. It received a 拢52,500 fine in court.
The victim fell through a gap in a stairway, pictured above
In a victim statement, the worker said his wife had become his carer.
He added: "The injuries I sustained have had a massive impact on my life and some of these will be permanent.
"My own behaviours have changed. I am quicker to anger and get easily frustrated. I get very impatient too.
"My focus has been affected and I struggle to keep up with a task or maintain a conversation."
EMC Elite Engineering Services, based in Basildon, admitted breaching working at height regulations.
As well as the fine, it was ordered to pay 拢6,871.12 in costs by St Albans Magistrates' Court.
HSE inspector Martin Paren said: "If his employer had properly planned, instructed and supervised the work then this incident could have easily been prevented."
The incident happened at West Hyde in Hertfordshire in 2022
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