AN EVESHAM horticultural nursery has been fined thousands of pounds after a worker fell through a glasshouse roof and suffered serious injuries.

Westland Nurseries Limited based in Offenham were fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £6,835 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Health and Safety laws following the incident in December 2009.

Worcester Magistrates Court heard how a 21-year-old man was cleaning a valley gutter between two roofs on a glasshouse when he fell about three metres through the glass landing on a concrete floor.

As a result he suffered concussion with blood on the brain, fractured his hand and sustained cuts and bruises meaning he could not work for three months after the incident.

The Health and Safety Executive, who prosecuted the company, held an investigation which found the nursery had taken no measures to prevent workers falling from the glasshouse roofs and failed to understand the risks involved when working at height.

The investigation also found the injured man was inadequately trained by an employee who was not trained in working at height himself.

After the hearing, Health and Safety Executive inspector Chris Gregory said the incident could have been avoided if proper procedures had taken place.

"Every year people are seriously injured as a result of falling through glasshouse roofs onto wires, hooks, staging or the ground and from being cut by glass," he said. "However, the vast majority of these incidents can be avoided with proper planning.

"Companies must make sure they understand the risks involved in working at height and take suitable measures to prevent workers from following such as installing lightweight balancing frames.

"It is unacceptable that Westland Nurseries Ltd failed to do this and a man was seriously injured as a result."