Man may seek compensation over back injury

An employee who sustained a back injury may seek compensation for his suffering.

In November 2008, Graham Parkin was working at the Corn Mill in Wharfedale when he tumbled three metres from a terrace retaining wall that had no guard rails in place.

He fractured three vertebrae due to the force of the impact.

As a result of the incident, Illson (Builders & Contractors) was issued a fine for breaching safety regulations.

Commenting on the case, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector David Welsh said: "The measures in place at the time ... simply did not amount to a safe system of work and as a result [Mr] Parkin sustained a serious ... fall-from-height injury."

According to figures produced by the HSE, there were a total of 246,000 reportable injuries suffered by workers in the UK over the course of 2008-09 and many of these were due to falls from height.