09:39 am, Friday 26 December, 2008

The Industrial Relations Court has fined two companies over a worker’s fall through a skylight.

The apprentice electrician, 25, fractured his spine in several places when he fell 4.5 metres while installing airconditioning at an engineering shop at Olympic Dam, in South Australia’s far north.

The accident happened just days before his wedding.

An investigation found the worker was not wearing a safety harness and failed to use crawl boards to cover skylights.

The Employer was fined $27,000 for breaching the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act.

The workshop owner was fined $24,000 for failing to ensure the building was in a safe condition.

The man recovered from his injuries and returned to work within three months.

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know