Employee Severely Injured And In Coma After Six Metre Fall

A Wellington man and City Aerials Limited have today been fined a total of $29,750 after an employee suffered serious injuries and was left in a coma after falling six metres from a roof.

The Wellington District Court heard that the employee was installing a sky satellite dish in Titahi Bay on 26 July 2008, when he fell onto the courtyard. The employee sustained serious injuries and was in hospital for seven weeks.

Hugh Michael Wilson, trading as Marmic Installations, was the employer on site and was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay reparations of $10,000. He was responsible for the employee’s safety.

City Aerials Limited was the principal and was fined $24,750 and ordered to pay reparations of $10,000 for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure an employee of its contractor was not harmed.

“This employee suffered a fractured skull, two broken vertebrae in his neck, fractured jaw, broken eye socket and internal bleeding and severe bruising – he was also in a coma after the fall,” says the Department of Labour’s Wellington Service Manager, Dave Hulston.

“He has no recollection of what caused his fall – he was extremely lucky to survive.

“Our investigation shows that this accident could have been avoided if the employee was provided with and trained in the use of appropriate fall prevention equipment,” says Mr Hulston.