HSE investigation launched into scaffolding incident

HSE investigation launched into scaffolding incident

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have launched an investigation into a scaffolding accident in Slough that led to an injured man being rescued by firefighters.

The incident took place just before 5pm on Thursday 28 July, when a man was injured while working on a two-storey semi-detached home with a sloping roof.

The man, who was working as the employee of a scaffolding company on the site, fell two and a half metres onto the second level of scaffolding while working on the house in Upton Court Road, resulting in injuries to his leg and head.

Following the accident, firefighters initially planned to use an aerial appliance with a drop down platform to lower the man to the ground, but was later required to work alongside paramedics to manoeuvre him down an internal staircase so he could be rescued and taken to hospital.

If your scaffolding company works on a site that poses a danger to employees then it's vital that you secure adequate levels of employers' liability insurance to cover any costs associated with a possible accident.

Commenting on the investigation, a spokesman for HSE stated that the organisation would investigate the accident, but stated that they could not comment on the condition of the injured employee. They added: “The only update we would get is if the injured person sadly died as that would change the nature of the investigation.”

A spokesman for one scaffolding company that has worked on the site stated this week that the injured man was now well again and intended to return to India while he recovered, although the work on the house is currently on hold.