Company fined £28k after worker suffers brain injury while installing solar panels

A company has been fined £28,000 after a worker sustained a severe brain injury while installing solar panels on the roof of a house, leaving him unable to walk or talk.

The man, who was employed by Everyone's Energy UK Limited, was working at an address on Pentland Avenue, Thornbury, on 4 July 2022, when he fell three metres off a ladder.

The 41-year-old landed at the foot of the ladder and suffered a fractured skull, leading to a severe brain injury which has left him unable to walk or talk.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified a series of failings by the company.

It found that Everyone's Energy UK Limited had failed to properly plan, manage and monitor working at height.

Inspectors also found the company had not provided adequate scaffolding around the roof and there was no appropriate means of getting materials onto the roof.

HSE Inspector Ian Whittles said it was a "serious incident [which] could have been avoided if the employer had acted to identify and control the risks involved."

Everyone's Energy UK Limited, based in Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £28,000 and ordered to pay around £6,000 in costs during a hearing at Bristol Magistrates' Court on 12 March 2024.