London Underground fined £500,000 after worker injured in fall at disused station

London Underground has been fined £500,000 after a maintenance worker was injured in a fall at a disused station.

The worker spent 10 days in hospital after plunging 9.5 metres from a scaffold tower while cleaning a former lift shaft, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said.

An investigation found that London Underground failed to properly plan, manage and supervise the work being carried out on September 22 2014.

Inspectors at the disused South Kentish Town Tube station also found the scaffold was incorrectly assembled and its stability had not been assessed.

The ORR said procedures which may have prevented the fall were in place, but were not implemented or followed.

In addition to the £500,000 fine, London Underground was ordered to pay £50,000 costs after pleading guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act at Blackfriars Crown Court on October 7 this year.

Keith Atkinson, HM Principal Inspector of Railways, said: "London Underground has a good safety record, but this incident highlights why there can be no room for complacency.

"Safety remains a top priority for the rail regulator. We will always take action against companies or individuals where failings are found."

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman said: "This was clearly a serious incident involving one of our employees and we acted quickly to investigate the causes and take action to ensure that it does not happen again."