A self-employed construction worker might want to consider making an accident compensation claim after suffering an injury at work.
The 56-year-old was working at a building site in Abbots Leigh, near Bristol, when a 10kg stone fell nearly three metres and hit him on the head.
No hard hat was being worn by the man at the time of the accident, despite the fact that the work he was undertaking was based on an active building site.
He was airlifted to hospital at the time of the incident but his injuries meant that he was unable to work for around six months following the accident. He was left with a serious head injury and permanent personality changes as a result of the incident.
An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there were no brick guards installed on the scaffolding, which would have stopped materials falling onto people below.
HSE inspector Mark Renouf commented: “This tragic incident could easily have been avoided if the brick guards or similar had been fitted to the scaffold.
“[The victim] has suffered major injuries and the incident could very well have led to a fatality. The use of hard hats was not common on this site however the greater failing is not stopping materials from falling in the first place," he added.