BUILDING company Generation Homes has been fined $6,500 for failing to provide edge protection on one of its building sites.
Work Safe WA says the company pleaded guilty and was fined in the Rockingham Magistrates Court in November 2009.
The incident involved a sub-contractor who fell 2.4m while laying a wooden floor on the second story of a house. There was no edge-protection at the top of the internal stairwell.
Authorities say edge protection had been in place at an earlier time, but it had been removed in order to make the laying of the floor easier.
WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne says it is disappointing to hear of falls that could have been prevented.
“It’s really disappointing to see a lack of fall protection in workplaces because falls are readily preventable and it need not be difficult or costly to ensure that suitable barriers or fall arrest systems are organised before a tragedy can occur,” Ms Lyhne said.
“Falls are one of the most significant causes of workplace death in the construction industry, and seven Western Australian workers have died in just over 12 months as a result of falls. A further 1295 are injured each year, many seriously and permanently.”
Work Safe WA says The Code of Practice on the Prevention of Falls in Workplaces can be downloaded from its website.