A 63-year old painter fell over 4 metres to his death as he attempted to climb over a balcony railing from his ladder to access a scaffold structure. The accident occurred as he worked to paint the exterior of a building in Queens Gate Terrace, London, SW15. The company who engaged him, Henderson General Services Ltd of Putney, London, admitted breaching s.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in the circumstances of the tragic accident for which it was fined £18,000, with costs of £4,296, at the Old Bailey.

Comment:
"This death could easily have been avoided if the company had ensured safe ladder access to the scaffold. A simple and cheap action, such as installing a gantry for example, would have prevented the death of Mr _____ and the grief suffered by his family and friends. Any contractor or site foreman reading about this case should be sure to check that proper ladder access is in place for the scaffold on their site." - HSE investigating inspector.