Fine for flooring firm after worker fall in Edinburgh
A flooring firm has been fined £3,300 after a worker fell 14.7ft (4.5m) through a hole in a floor, leaving him with "life-changing" injuries.
Steven Stewart was working for Technic Concrete Floors on a new cinema complex at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park in Edinburgh when the incident happened.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard he was walking over a floor under construction when he tripped on 16 May 2014.
His foot dislodged an unsecured wooden panel covering a void in the floor.
He landed on steel mesh grids.
Mr Stewart, who was sub-contracted to work for the firm, sustained serious injuries to his back and a broken foot.
The Lancashire-based flooring company pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to contravening part of the Health and Safety Act.
Gary Aitken, head of the Crown Office health and safety division, said: "This was an accident that resulted in life-changing injuries that could have been avoided if the appropriate measures had been in place at the time.
"This incident could well have proved fatal and it has irrevocably changed Mr Stewart's life.
"Falls from height are usually the greatest single cause of death and serious injury to workers within the construction industry.
"Hopefully this prosecution will remind other employers that failure to fulfil their obligations can have terrible consequences and that they will be held to account for their failings."