A South Wales builder was fined £6,000 after a carpenter he employed fell from a ladder, leaving him paralysed. The builder was also ordered to pay £5,000 court costs.
Self-employed Dennis Wheeler, 51, was carrying out a garage extension on a house in Cardiff in January 2005 when the accident happened.
He had contracted carpenter John Greig, 47, to work on the rafters. But Greig fell off a loose ladder while holding a circular saw, which landed on his face.
Greig’s back took the force of the fall, and his spine was broken in two places. He has since spent six months in hospital and has had titanium plates fitted. He will never walk again.
An HSE investigation found that the ladder was not tied at both ends, that the walkway was obstructed, and that there was no gin wheel on the site for hoisting equipment.
The HSE also found that Wheeler did not have proper scaffolding or health and safety training.
