Timaru construction company fined $34k after worker fell 2.9m on to concrete floor

A Timaru construction firm has been fined $34,000 and ordered to pay $16,000 in reparations after its employee fell 2.9m on to a concrete floor. Photo / File

A Timaru construction firm has been fined $34,000 and ordered to pay $16,000 in reparations after its employee fell 2.9m on to a concrete floor.

The Rickie Shore Building Ltd employee was drilling timber fascia boards to a steel beam on the second storey of a Timaru house on October 22 last year when the steel sheets he was using as a platform moved and he fell.

The man was knocked unconscious and sustained fractures. He suffers fatigue and headaches as a result of his head injury.

A WorkSafe investigation found Rickie Shore Building had failed to complete adequate planning and hazard assessment in relation to the man's work.

He was unfamiliar with the installation process and had received no training. No one had checked he had installed the sheets correctly.

The firm was sentenced on one charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 in the Timaru District Court today.

WorkSafe construction programme manager Marcus Nalter said working from height was a well-known risk in the construction industry and it must be managed appropriately at all times.

"People working in high risk industries such as construction should be able to trust that the employer has their workers' safety at the front of their mind.

"Rickie Shore Building should have ensured that the fitting of the flooring system was being done correctly and appropriate controls were in place to prevent a fall from height, such as providing a safe working platform."