BT fined £300,000 following ladder fall

Communications company BT has been fined £300,000 following the death of a worker who fell from a ladder while carrying out installation works. BT has said it will appeal.

Power construction engineer David Askew, 52, from Braintree, Essex, suffered fatal head injuries after falling from a wooden ladder at London’s Canonbury Telephone Exchange on 27 October 2006.

British Telecommunications Plc (BT) was prosecuted after an investigation by the HSE.

Southwark Crown Court heard Mr Askew was installing distribution boards and running cabling as part of his work and would have been working at a height of more than four metres. He fell from a nine-step wooden ladder, sustaining a serious head injury and died 18 days later.

The HSE investigation found a number of issues including a failure to ensure the work at height was properly planned, and that Mr Askew was provided with suitable access equipment for work at height.

Two wooden ladders found at the scene had not been subject to an annual inspection, contrary to BT’s own health and safety policy.

BT was found guilty of breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at a previous hearing. This week BT was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £196,150

Nicola Maisuria, HSE inspector, said: “The fact that this incident was entirely avoidable makes Mr Askew’s death all the more tragic. The dangers posed by work at height are well known, yet BT failed to create the conditions to ensure this task was carried out safely and the appropriate access equipment was used. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that work at height is properly planned and organised.”

Falls from height remain the most common cause of workplace fatality. In 2008/09 there were 35 fatalities, 4,654 major injuries and a further 7,065 injuries that caused the injured person to be off work for over three days or more, due to a fall from height.

A BT spokesperson said: “This was an extremely sad and unfortunate accident and our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of David Askew. Four years on from the accident and, despite a thorough investigation by the HSE and BT, it is still unclear how David, a well-trained engineer with 25 years experience, fell from the step ladder, as there were no witnesses.

“BT’s workforce undertakes almost nine million climbing activities a year and the company has a good safety record. 

“Our focus is on securing a culture where the protection of health and the promotion of safety are integral components of all our commercial activities. This includes mandated general health and safety training for all employees supplemented by task-specific safety training that is integrated into technical instruction. As a result of this approach, BT has seen lost time injuries reduced very significantly, across all areas of the business, in the past decade.

“The conviction in this case was for failing to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of its employees who worked at height.  BT is appealing the conviction, on several grounds.

“Notwithstanding this appeal, BT remains committed to achieving the highest standards of health and safety in its business and working to ensure that no-one is harmed in the work they undertake for BT.”