Aberdeen City Council has been fined more than £10,000 after admitting a health and safety breach which left a pensioner trapped down a hatch in his own home for two hours.
Gordon Grant needed hospital treatment after his ordeal in the city’s Kirkhill Road on August 5 last year.
A major rescue operation was mounted involving police, fire brigade and ambulance crews.
The 83-year-old fell through an open floor hatch which council workers Ashley McIntosh and Michael Spence had exposed while carrying out repairs to the property’s gas central heating system.
Yesterday, representatives of the local authority appeared at the city’s sheriff court and admitted adequate measures were not in place to prevent the accident.
McIntosh had to go under the floorboards, and told Mr Grant he should be careful as he had opened the hatch near the front door.
But he realised that he needed a screwdriver and reached outside the front door to get one and saw Mr Grant approaching the hole.
The pensioner plunged down the hatch, with McIntosh grabbing him before he fell completely.
McIntosh called for help from Spence and the pair attempted to pull Mr Grant out of the hole and then held him up until the emergency services came to the rescue.
Although a warning sign was displayed on the front door the council did not wall-off the area with barriers or signage in the house itself.
Mr Grant suffered bruising to his ribs and a cut to his head. He died in December from an unrelated heart condition.
The local authority’s agent, solicitor Malcolm McKay, said that since the incident £11,897 had been spent buying 180 barriers.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge fined the council £11,500, taking into account the early guilty plea.
A council spokeswoman said: “Aberdeen City Council is extremely regretful for the incident that took place in August 2015 and accepted responsibility in court for the health and safety practices in relation to what occurred in this particular case.
“Today’s judgment referenced our good health and safety record as well as our commitment to continuous improvement.
“Since last year’s incident we have invested in training for employees, as well as additional equipment, and have adapted our policies to ensure that similar events do not occur.”
