Firm fined £20,000 after worker fractures pelvis in fall through petrol station canopy

Now Washington-based G Nicholson (Engineers) Limited has been hit with a £20,000 fine after admitting breaching health and safety rules.

The injured man was replacing guttering at the top of the canopy on the company’s petrol station in Blue House Lane on December 5, 2019.

As he was removing corrugated metal sheets, he was knocked off balance when a gust of wind caught the sheet, causing him to fall approximately four metres through the canopy on to concrete below.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found a risk assessment should have been carried out and a method statement document produced, which would have identified the need for effective control measures to prevent falls from the edge of the canopy or through the exposed fragile roof surface.

The firm pleaded guilty to breaching Section 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Gateshead Magistrates’ Court and the case was adjourned to South Tyneside Mahistrates on , where Distric Judge Zoe Passfield was fined £20,000, with £7,825 costs and a victim surcharge of £190.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Scott Wynne said: “A worker suffered serious injuries which could have easily been avoided if the company had adopted appropriate control measures when carrying out this task.

“This incident highlights the importance of conducting a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and using the findings of that assessment to ensure the work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and, ultimately, carried out in a safe manner.”