A CONSTRUCTION worker was in a wheelchair for four months after an accident on a Gower building site.

He suffered crush injuries to both heels when he fell about eight feet onto a concrete floor, Swansea magistrates were told.

Dorian Skippon, from Penclawdd, spent two weeks in Morriston Hospital following the accident.

He was in a wheelchair for four months and on crutches for a further eight months.

The accident, on the site of the new CK supermarket in Station Road, Penclawdd, in June, 2006, led to construction site principal contractor Arthur Fletcher being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

The 66-year-old, of Dunvant Road, Three Crosses, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, namely failing to ensure the safety of a person not in his employment.

Prosecutor Steve Covell said Mr Skippon had been working as a self-employed labourer at the site.

On June 30 he had been involved in building a temporary floor at ceiling level on the second floor.

A joist gave way and he fell about 2.5 metres onto a concrete floor, suffering multiple fractures to both heels.

The prosecutor said Mr Fletcher failed to ensure that work at height was properly planned and conducted in a safe manner.

He said falls from height were the single biggest cause of deaths on building sites.

In 2005-06 there were 46 such deaths, he said.

The defendant's solicitor said of the incident: "It was a failure of judgement and not an attempt to crack on with work without any consideration of risk."

He added: "It is a matter of deep regret and remorse for Mr Fletcher, who has had an exemplary career."

The magistrates imposed a £10,000 fine and ordered payment of £6,257 in costs.

After the case, HSE inspector Anne Marie Orrells said: "Falls from height are the single most common cause of fatalities in the construction industry and Mr Skippon is still experiencing the effects of his injuries more than two years later.

"There were a number of serious failings which led to this incident.

"The risks of working at height were not properly identified or addressed and no fall protection was provided for workers."