AN engineering firm has been fined £12,000 after a contractor was knocked from a five metre high platform, magistrates heard yesterday.

Donald Kidd suffered broken bones and was badly bruised after an overhead crane knocked into a platform he was standing on at the Eliza Tinsley Group plant, in Evenwood, County Durham.

Bishop Auckland magistrates heard that an employee had begun to move the crane across the ceiling of the plant when he felt it shake about halfway across the factory floor.

It had knocked over the scissor lift, tipping contractor Mr Kidd on to some metal shelving.

Emma Scott, prosecuting on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the employee had not been trained to operate the crane and there were no safety systems in place for the maintenance work being carried out.

Mr Kidd had been trying to fix an extractor fan in the ceiling.

The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of Mr Kidd or provide adequate training for using work equipment.

Kevin Elliott, defending, said prior to the accident the crane operator had been booked on to a safety course, which took place two days after the accident last September.

He said the company had issued him with health and safety guidelines when he started work.

He said: "He was operating the crane and ought not to have.

"The policy is there in writing and the individual clearly read it."

Magistrates fined the company a total of £12,000 and ordered them to pay £784 costs.

Speaking after the court case, the HSE said every year there were about 5,600 major injuries and 80 fatalities caused by people falling from ladders, roofs or other heights and they were now concentrating on eradicating the problem from the workplace.

Speaking after the court case, Dr David Shallow, an inspector for the HSE said: "It is one of the HSE's priority hazards that we are going to be looking at as part of a review of health and safety.

"We are more than happy to talk to businesses about this area of work.

"We would much rather go there than turn up a year later when somebody has been killed on site.