A Wellington builder has been ordered to pay out nearly $65,000 after one of his workers sustained serious brain injuries and a fractured skull falling from a ladder.
Geordie Grieve was fined $15,000 and ordered to pay the worker $48,592.
He was sentenced in the Wellington District Court yesterday after being found guilty of one charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 for failing to take all practicable steps to keep a worker safe.
On 10 March 2015, the worker was using a ladder while dismantling a balcony nearly three metres in the air. As he tried to get down, the bottom of the ladder slipped forward, causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground.
The worker suffered skull fractures and complex head injuries.
A WorkSafe New Zealand investigation later revealed the ladder's non-slip rubber feet were worn out.
It concluded that Geordie Grieve failed to ensure that a fall from height hazard - a common cause of injury in the construction industry - was properly managed.
WorkSafe's Construction Programme Manager Marcus Nalter says the incident could have been avoided, with non-slip feet costing just $14 per pair to replace.
"Working from height is a significant hazard, so appropriate steps must to be taken to ensure that any potential exposure to harm is minimised. Mr Grieve's failure to identify and fix the ladder's worn out feet heavily increased the chance of a fall from height occurring," says Mr Nalter.
"Every employee has the right to expect to go home healthy and safe every day. In this case, basic hazard management failures put an employee in hospital for over two months with very serious injuries."
Newshub.
