A window fitting business has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay more than £6,000 costs after a worker fell to his death in Brighton.
Mark Taylor, 48, a window fitter and father of two, from Southampton, was helping to put in windows at a three-storey house in Brighton on Wednesday 10 September 2014 when he died.
Mr Taylor was working from an unsecured ladder when it slipped sideways and he fell to the ground, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court, the HSE said that Mr Taylor was taken to hospital suffering from head injuries but died the next day.
The HSE investigation found Kevin McLean, trading as South Coast Installations, failed to ensure that the work at height was adequately planned and carried out in a manner that was safe.
McLean admitted breaking the law – the Work at Height Regulations – and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £6,250 costs.
HSE inspector Amanda Huff, said: “Mark Taylor’s family have been devastated because simple steps were not taken to secure the ladder he was using.
“If Kevin McLean had ensured a proper risk assessment was carried out, this tragic incident could have been prevented.”
