Keeping Both Your Organisation and Employees Safe

Posted on 9th May, 2014 | By Lorretta Tatham

The story of Irishman Paul O’Brien who fell from a ladder and suffered a brain injury on his first day on the job, is unfortunately reminiscent of the sorts of accidents in the workplace that we hear about too often. The 49-year-old is now cared for by his wife and will never be able to work again. His brain injuries mean he suffers not only with mood changes, but also with short term memory loss.

Safety – An employer’s responsibility

Through his wife, Paul sued his employer, alleging negligence and breach of duty. The High Court approved a settlement of €1.5m for Paul, following his accident, which no doubt hit his employers hard. But no sum of money will be able to make up for the life changing injuries Paul and his family now have to endure.

The court heard Paul’s accident occurred on his first day as a roofer, whilst on a 4 month contract. Paul fell and hit his head while descending from the roof of a property in Bray, and alleges this was down to the ladder being unsecured – which led it to slip on wet decking. This is something both Paul and his employers should have been aware of and prevented before any of the roofers began working.

Don’t let a fall shatter your life

Through education and awareness, you can prevent falls like this happening in your organisation. With the introduction of Work at Heights regulations, it has become even more important for employers to be aware of the risks of working at heights and to comply with the rules and regulations that have been put in place.

Failing to provide employees with correct equipment and safety training not only risks injury, and in the worst cases, death; consequential legal action too can have a damaging effect on your business.

Working at Heights training courses: Book on before it’s too late

Here at Browns Ladders, we run safety courses that show you how to carry out pre-use inspections, and consequently identify potential problems with the equipment you might be using – minimising accidents like this.

Our on-site ladder equipment inspections and safety training courses, established in 1997, were set up to ensure health and safety compliance in the workplace. All of our Working at Heights courses have been designed to ensure the safety of your employees – and can be customised to suit your company needs.