Construction companies have been warned of their responsibilities while employing work experience staff after a boy fell three metres from scaffolding.

Wigan construction company William Hargreaves Ltd was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £1,774 costs after pleading guilty to a criminal charge brought by the Health and Safety Executive.

The case was heart at Hyndburn Magistrates' Court after a 15-year-old work experience boy fell approximately 3m from scaffolding above a loading bay.

John Ferguson - known as Kilpatrick - then 15 and a pupil of St Bede's RC High School in Blackburn was spending two weeks working with bricklayers at Hargreaves' Clearwater Village housing development in Marsh House Lane in Darwen when he fell on 13 July 2004.

Following the accident he was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary Hospital.

He suffered a brain haemorrhage, hurt his spine, had bruises and concussion.

HSE inspector Joanne Eccles who took the case says: "Falls from height are one of the commonest causes of injury in construction work, yet with proper protective measures, they are easily preventable.

"In this case the loading bay was protected by a single guardrail that was not secured.

"Loading bay gates should have been fitted."

William Hargreaves Ltd of Swift House on the Bradley Hall Estate at Standish in Wigan breached Regulation 6(1) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 by failing to take suitable and sufficient steps to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, persons from falling.