Scaffolder seriously hurt after 15ft fall on Navy ship
A SCAFFOLDER sustained serious injuries when he fell 15ft through a hole on a Royal Navy warship, a court heard.
Arran Seymour was working on board HMS Bulwark at Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth, Devon, when the incident occurred on April 11, 2023.
Plymouth Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Seymour was dismantling scaffolding inside a ballast tank as part of maintenance work on the warship. A lightening hole, which enables water to flow in and out of the ballast tank voids when the ship is at sea, had been left uncovered below where Mr Seymour was working.
He climbed down a ladder but as he stepped back, he fell 15ft through the exposed hole onto the lower tank floor, sustaining numerous injuries. These included multiple fractures to his pelvis, a splintered wrist, a dislocated elbow and broken bones in his arm, hand and fingers. Mr Seymour spent two months in hospital and two weeks in a rehabilitation centre before returning home.
On Wednesday, Devonport Royal Dockyard Limited (DRDL) and Kaefer Limited admitted health and safety breaches in relation to the incident, following a prosecution by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).
District Judge Jo Matson said: “This incident arose very tragically following an accident in which Arran Seymour was seriously injured which had a significant impact on his life.
“It is such the case, where had measures been put in place in the first place, Mr Seymour would not have been put in the sad situation that he has been.”
DRDL pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that people not in its employment were not exposed to risks to their health and safety, as well as failing to ensure that its employees were not exposed to similar risks. The company was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £757,589.90.
Kaefer Limited, who Mr Seymour worked for, admitted failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees in relation to the risks arising while working at height. The firm was ordered to pay a total of £154,249.90 in fines and costs.