HSE v. Foxtel Limited

Tuckers successfully prosecuted the satellite TV specialist Foxtel Ltd on behalf of HSE after a dish installer fell 13.5 metres to his death.

Engineer Noel Corbin, 29, from New Addington, Croydon, suffered fatal head injuries after falling from a four-storey house onto a patio in Belsize Park, London on 3 February 2008.

The Old Bailey heard safety equipment found in Corbin’s van was unsuitable for the type of work he was undertaking.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation after the incident exposed a number of failings at Foxtel Ltd including failure to ensure work at height was properly planned, organised and monitored.

The court was told when Corbin was first employed by Foxtel Ltd, references were not sourced from his previous employer, nor were any training certificates provided.

Foxtel Ltd, based in Wates Way, Brentwood, Essex, pleaded guilty to safety breaches.

Charles Linfoot, HSE inspector, said: ”Owing to the foreseeable risk of falling and the lack of suitable access equipment, the work should have been cancelled.

“Foxtel should have carried out a full site-specific risk assessment, planning and organising the work to be executed in a safe manner. It is not acceptable to simply delegate health and safety duties to employees without adequate instruction, training, monitoring or supervision.”