A CONSTRUCTION company was successfully prosecuted after a worker carrying out a job in Redditch suffered facial injuries and broke his leg when a boom type mobile elevated working platform fell from the forks of a telehandler machine.

Base Build Services Limited pleaded guilty to breaching regulation of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,647.92.

The 31-year-old worker from Birmingham was injured in the incident at Abbey Trading Centre, Alvechurch Highway, on November 19 2014.

Redditch Magistrates Court heard that the injured worker was employed by a groundworks contractor carrying out work for Base Build Services Limited.

The platform had been left in their area and needed to be moved to enable work to continue.

A telescopic handler was being used to move the platform when it fell from its forks and hit the worker.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that Base Build Services Limited was aware work was due to start in the area where the platform was stored and that it would need to be moved before work could continue.

However, no plan or instructions for the removal had been provided.

In addition, the lead labourer was standing by the telescopic handler at the time that the lift was taking place but failed to take action to stop the lifting operation, even though it was clearly unsafe.

The HSE investigation found that the telescopic handler was overloaded and the platform was not lifted in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.