Welsh brewery fined £15,000 following worker injury - 27 April 2007

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning of the dangers of working at height after the prosecution of brewer for an incident where one of its workers fell more than four metres onto a concrete floor at its Monmouthshire brewery.

In Bev UK Ltd, of Wilcrick, Magor, Monmouthshire was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £5,076.75 costs at Newport Crown Court, after they pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Maintenance worker Mr Brynley Allen, aged 62, from Newport, suffered various injuries including a severed tongue after falling through a skylight on the roof of the company’s Magor brewery on 25 July 2005.

HSE’s investigation revealed that the company had not put any safety measures in place to prevent Mr Allen from falling through the skylight whilst completing maintenance work.

HSE inspector Sarah Baldwin-Jones said: "This case clearly demonstrates the inherent dangers that exist in any work at height.

"A substantial fall such as this would often result in a fatality and there are many cases where falls from below head-height have caused serious injury or even death.

"Employers need to be aware of the dangers and take appropriate action to reduce the risks before an incident occurs. There is a great deal of help and guidance available to help companies get it right, and a relatively small investment in good safety measures could ultimately save money in the long run in terms of sickness absence and enforcement action."

Latest figures show that 46 people died and 3351 suffered serious injury in Great Britain as a result of a fall from height in the workplace.

Return to Main Press Releases Page