Nottingham NHS trust given safety caution after worker fall

The boiler house closed since the worker was injured but this was not related to the accident

An NHS trust has been cautioned by the work safety watchdog after a member of staff suffered head injuries in a fall.

In 2019 a worker fell "from height" while working in the boiler house at Nottingham City Hospital.

A report for an upcoming meeting of the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust noted the individual had made a full recovery.

But it had accepted the caution from the Health and Safety Executive for breaching Work at Height Regulations.

Safety audit

The HSE investigates the most serious work-related incidents and has a range of legal powers including issuing cautions and starting criminal prosecutions.

The report to the trust, which runs both the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, is due to be considered on 26 January, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In it, trust chief executive Anthony May states: "In 2019, a colleague working in the boiler house at City Hospital fell from height receiving serious head injuries.

"While the colleague made a full recovery, subsequent enquiries established a breach of The Work at Height Regulations 2005, Regulation 4(1).

"As a result, and on advice, we have accepted a caution from the Health and Safety Executive."

The trust said it had taken steps to ensure a similar incident did not happen again, including employing a health and safety auditor to progress its health and safety audit programme.

It has also received additional support to ensure that risk assessments are in place.

The report added: "The Trust's Health and Safety Committee continue to provide oversight to ensure learning is fully embedded."

The trust was given a simple caution - which is a way the HSE can deal with offences without prosecution.