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A housebuilder has been fined after a teenage apprentice fell from the first floor of a house he was working on.

Ellon-based Scotia Homes was prosecuted yesterday over the incident at the company’s Kirkside construction site at Laurencekirk.

A 17-year-old trainee joiner from Peterhead, Lewis Black, fell almost 9ft to a concrete floor through an unguarded stairwell, injuring his head and legs on October 12, 2009.

Stonehaven Sheriff Court heard yesterday that, apart from a plywood sheet placed over the stairwell entrance, there was no edge protection or guards in place to prevent employees from falling through the open stairwell.

Scotia Homes pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £4,000. The fine was reduced from £6,000 due to an early guilty plea.

Sentencing the firm, Sheriff Patrick Davies said it was fortunate the accident had not resulted in more serious consequences. He acknowledged the company had taken steps to improve safety since the accident, adding that they were a first-time offender and had “no complete disregard” for safety.

Investigating HSE Inspector Alan MacKinnon said afterwards: “This incident could have been avoided. The fall protection measure in place was completely inadequate as a means of preventing anyone falling from height.

“Construction is one of Scotland’s most dangerous industries. During 2008/09 alone 10 people died and 1,423 were injured in Scotland while working in construction.

“Last year there were four fatalities and 1,094 injuries caused by falls from height in the workplace. Employers working at height need to ensure risks are fully assessed and that open edged areas of work are suitably guarded.”

Scotia’s lawyer was not available for comment last night.