Airport fined £10,000 following contractor's fall into unprotected gully

Heathrow Airport Ltd has been fined after a worker fell off a terminal roof.

The investigation followed an incident in Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport in March 2007, when an contractor maintenance worker was walking from one part of the terminal roof to another.

The contractor fell into the gully and received serious injuries to his leg. There was no edge protection around the gully and local lighting was not working. He reportedly suffered “life changing injuries” and is no longer able to do the work that he used to.

The airport pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety ay Work etc Act 1974 and were fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of over £3,000.

Prosecuting HSE Inspector, Steve Kirton, said: "Falls from height remain one of the most significant causes of serious injury reported to HSE, yet simple precautions can prevent these falls. Edge protection, or other fall protection, should always be provided where people are working at height".

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