The engineer suffered fractures to his left foot, shoulder, lower spine and pelvis, and was unable to work for several months as a result of the incident.
The construction firm was prosecuted today by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that guard-rails placed across the entrance to the lift shaft did not meet the statutory height requirement.
Cambridge Magistrates' Court heard that the experienced lift engineer, was working on the uppermost floor of a new three-storey annex under construction and was preparing the lift shaft ahead of a lift installation.
He was about to bring up further equipment from a floor below when he fell into the lift shaft and plunged some nine metres. He was discovered at the bottom of the shaft by a sub-contractor working nearby.
HSE's investigation found that the guard-rails placed across the entrance to the upper floor shaft were 908mm high and did not meet a long-standing regulatory requirement. The regulations state that the top guard rail should be at least 950mm above the edge from which a person is liable to fall.
The Court was told that although it could not be proven that the height discrepancy was a causative factor in the fall, it was a serious safety failing.
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