After Stuart Mitchell, a 52 year old from St Leonards on sea fell 3m through an unsteady cowshed roof, the prognosis was pretty bad. Five broken vertebrae, three broken ribs and a cracked leg socket.
It was told at Eastbourne Magistrates court that Mr Mitchell was doing some gutter repair work on the cowshed with another employee watching when it caved through. He had accessed the roof using a ladder and walked along a narrow section to reach his target.
After noticing that a section of the roof needed attention, he stepped onto a fragile sheet which caved through. Mr Mitchell fell 3m and is still unable to work.
The managing director of the farm was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay a further £881 in costs.
The company was found to be in breach of three parts of the Work At Height Regulations of 2005.
The lesson here: don’t cut corners.