comercrawley solicitors

18.02.2009

Taverham Man awarded £450,000 after roof fall

a Norfolk worker who faces a lifetime of acute disability after falling through the skylight of a warehouse roof was yesterday awarded £450,000 by the high Court.

Michael John Brand, 46, of Taverham, suffered severe brain injuries as well as a fractured pelvis, a cut to his liver and a punctured lung when he fell about five metres onto a concrete floor in February 2004.

He sued BOCM Pauls Ltd, based in Ipswich, and Roy Allen (Engineering) Ltd, of Stanley Road, Diss, who were the owners and occupiers of the warehouse at Rougham, Near Bury St Edmunds. Mr Brand was working for Roy Allen at the time. Both defendants denied all blame.

The Court was told that, as well as suffering a distressing change in his personality; Mr Brand will never be able to return to work or live independently and will require lifelong care. At the time of the accident he and his brother, Robert, were clearing mess and debris in preparation for the replacement of the central selection of the warehouse roof, when Mr Brand slipped and fell through a skylight, suffering ‘catastrophic’ injuries.

‘Workplace safety has improved hugely over recent years, but too often we find incidents like this where with the proper care this tragedy should have been avoided’, says Ian Comer, a specialist in industrial injuries with lawyers comercrawley.

‘Mr Brand’s injuries highlight the importance of employers carrying out proper risk assessments and ensuring sufficient health and safety procedures are in place.

‘It seems the roof on which Mr Brand was working was unsafe but neither the owner of the property nor the company which occupied the building appears to have taken proper steps to find out’.

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