A court has fined a scaffolding specialist for safety failings on a site where a worker sustained injuries that led to his death.
A.I.M Access Solutions was ordered to pay a £30,800 penalty and £5,040.75 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety laws, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said in a statement on Friday (7 March).
The watchdog said it had identified “serious issues” with the construction of a scaffold on Rice Hey Road on Merseyside.
The HSE added that assembly instructions had not been followed while the scaffold tower was being built.
“No ladder was used access the scaffold,” it said. “Instead, workers climbed the rungs of the scaffold itself.”
The HSE said its investigation was launched after it was notified of the death of A.I.M Access Solutions employee Robert Duffy.
The 45-year-old passed away in hospital on 23 May 2021, three days after sustaining serious injuries while working at the site on Rice Hey Road.
However, the watchdog said the prosecution of A.I.M Access Solutions, based at Knowsley Industrial Park, Kirkby, was “not brought on the grounds that the incident was causative of Mr Duffy’s death”.
HSE inspector Sam Eves said: “A.I.M Access Solutions did not ensure the tower scaffold was constructed correctly.
“The company failed to provide a safe way to get to and from the work platform, for example using an appropriately designed internal ladder.
“Companies should follow HSE guidance to ensure they effectively plan, manage and monitor similar construction work and reduce the risks to their employees.”
A.I.M Access Solutions admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on 27 February 2025.
The company and the HSE have been contacted for comment.
“Many people” are injured each year when they fall from scaffolding towers or they overturn, the HSE said in its 7 March statement. Common causes include defects in assembly and proper process not being followed when erecting and dismantling towers, it added.
