A CHEESE company has been fined £8,000 after an employee was seriously injured when he fell through a fragile roof while retrieving a dead mouse.
The Orkney Cheese Company Limited was hit with the penalty at Kirkwall Sheriff Court following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The court heard that the employee was asked by a manager to retrieve a dead mouse from aloft.
After doing this by crawling along ceiling battens, he then placed his foot on a fragile board which had been left behind when the factory was built.
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The board gave way and he fell approximately 2.5 metres into the reception area below.
Cheese (stock photo)
HSE found that the company usually brought in external contractors to deal with vermin issues, and that employees were not normally required to work at height within the business.
The Orkney Cheese Company Limited of Crowness Road, Kirkwall, Orkney pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £8,000.
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Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Norman Schouten said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.
"Working on or near fragile surfaces should be properly assessed and managed. This case highlights the importance for companies to assess and control risks created by non-routine tasks.”
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