Council fined £80,000 after elderly lady dies during housing repairs

A local authority has been fined £80,000 after an elderly lady died when she fell through an access hole in her hallway floor which had been left uncovered by council employees working on her property.

The death of Catherine Walker, 90, in July 2009 saw West Lothian Council plead guilty at Lothian Sheriff Court this week to breaching s. 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Mrs Walker was walking into the hallway of her house in Broompark View, East Calder, to go to her bathroom. She fell into the unguarded access hole and suffered major injuries from which she later died.

West Lothian employees had been carrying out gas repair works as part of a programme to upgrade the central heating systems in all of the council's domestic properties. The floorboards in Mrs Walker’s property were lifted in order to do work on the pipes..

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Garry Stimpson said the tragedy could have been avoided.

“The council employees should have covered the access hole or erected a barrier around it – this would have ensured the safety of Mrs Walker,” he suggested.

"Those working on central heating systems in a residential property must ensure that suitable and sufficient measures are taken to protect the residents.”

Stimpson insisted that contractors involved in central heating installation and upgrading works must take positive steps to prevent incidents – “otherwise this type of incident will happen again."