A wine producer has been fined $60,000 after pleading guilty for failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace resulting to a worker’s head injuries from ladder fall, reports Perth Now.

The Albany Magistrates Court heard that the worker was cleaning the exteriors of a six-metre-tall wine tank in July 2008 and was using an extension ladder to reach the upper portion of the tank when he fell about three metres from the unsecured ladder. He suffered severe head injuries and had to be airlifted to Perth. He had to go through head surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

THE Director of Public Prosecutions is to consider charges against an air-conditioning company after a safety-conscious employee fell from a faulty ladder while working on a Southbank development site.

Coroner Kim Parkinson referred the case to the DPP after finding that the ladder on which Keith Dickman had been working was defective and unstable from modifications and irregular replacement parts.

One in five construction sites failed safety checks during the first five days of a blitz in Merseyside and Cheshire.

Inspectors from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) visited 167 sites in the two counties between 20 and 24 February and found that 32 had working practices that put workers at risk.

ONE of WA's biggest wine producers has been fined $60,000 after a worker suffering severe head injuries after falling off a ladder.

Frankland River’s Ferngrove Vineyards pleaded guilty in the Albany Magistrates Court for failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and causing serious harm to a worker.

A construction worker fell more than seven metres from an unsecured ladder during the refurbishment of a property in central London.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that R & G Construction Ltd was the principal contractor responsible for replacing a roof and building a basement at a residential property at Eaton Mews North in Belgravia.

A construction company in Harrow has been fined after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he fell seven metres from an unguarded roof.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted R & G Construction Ltd of Harrow as a result of the incident on 7 March 2011.

What do I need to do to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005?

The Regulations apply to all work at height where there is risk of a fall that is liable to cause personal injury. They place duties on employers, the self-employed and any person who controls the work of others (such as facilities managers or building owners who may contract others to work at height).

As part of the Regulations, dutyholders must ensure:

- all work at height is properly planned and organised

- those involved in work at height are competent

- the risks from work at height are assessed, and appropriate work equipment is selected and used

- the risks of working on or near fragile surfaces are properly managed

- the equipment used for work at height is properly inspected and maintained

- there is a simple hierarchy for managing work at height and selecting the appropriate access equipment.

Dutyholders must:

- avoid work at height where possible, for example doing the work from ground level

- use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls, where work at height cannot be avoided

- use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of potential falls, where the risk cannot be eliminated

This year sees responsibility for running and developing the annual UK Ladder Exchange (LE) transfer from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to the Ladder Association.

The scheme, set up in 2007, is designed to encourage companies to replace broken, damaged or bent ladders and trade them in for safe new ones.

During February and March 2012 HSE Construction inspectors will be carrying out an intensive inspection initiative. These inspections will focus on the refurbishment/building site risks that make construction one of Britain’s most dangerous industries – working at height safely, good order on site, and the risks associated with the removal of asbestos.

Falls from height remains one of the most common causes of fatalities and major injuries in the construction industry, with more than five incidents every day.