Employee may be eligible for compensation after fall from height

A man who sustained extensive bruising to his lower back as a result of a workplace accident may be entitled to compensation.

In May last year, Neil Tomkins went to inspect repair work on a section of a factory roof.

No specialist equipment was used and no risk assessment had been conducted on the task.

Mr Tomkins tumbled through a skylight and landed on a machine that was situated below.

As a result of the injuries he suffered, he had to be taken to hospital for examination and treatment.

Commenting on the case, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Amarjit Kalay said: "The failure of the company ... to make adequate provisions for working on the roof left one of its employees with serious injuries and could easily have cost him his life."

The expert went on to note that falls from height cause more workplace deaths each year in the UK than anything else.

According to the HSE, a total of 246,000 reportable injuries were suffered by employees in 2008-09.