Legal News

A solar panel company and its director have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after a contractor fell from height at a site in Cornwall.

On 19 May 2015, Lewis Harding, 28, was fitting solar panels on a fragile roof at Venn Farm in Cornwall, when he fell more than three metres through a fragile skylight and broke his back in three places.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the company Eco NRG Solutions Ltd had failed to take adequate precautions to prevent workers falling from height – there was no edge protection, under roof netting or boarding provided on site and the company, instead, relied on an ineffective use of harnesses.

Unsafe working had been taking place for months before the accident and then continued for months afterwards, the investigation concluded – and
the failure was attributable to the neglect of the company’s director, Jon Antoniou.

At Taunton Magistrates’ Court, Eco NRG Solutions Ltd of Polden Business Centre, Bristol Road in Bridgewater, Somerset pleaded guilty to breaching Section 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Section 33 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company was fined £115,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,879.60.

Director Jon Luke Antoniou of Furze Close in Bridgewater pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 (1) of the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,957.40.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Sue Adsett said:

“The worker is lucky to have not sustained more life threatening injuries from what we found to be a serious breach of the law.

“This case highlights the importance of directors being vigilant and acting on their obligations.”

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors can advise those who suffer back and spinal injuries as a result of negligence on how to make a no win no fee claim for compensation, including claims relating to: