A struggling Moray engineering firm has been fined £10,000 after a worker plummeted 20ft and suffered massive injuries.
Staff from Brown Engineering (Fochabers) Ltd had been building a new kiln at Portgordon Maltings when Marcus Murray fell from the structure.
A Health and Safety Executive investigation concluded that the firm had been at fault for the accident, which happened on December 2, 2014.
Yesterday, bosses admitted charges of failing to ensure that work at height was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner as safe as practicable when the case called at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Mr Murray, now 21, was installing an enclosure around the top of a malting kiln when the incident occurred.
He plunged through a gap between the structure and a corner of the building while working in dim lighting.
Fiscal depute Geoff Main said: “Mr Murray fell 18 to 20ft and sustained significant injuries.
“He fractured his pelvis in two places, and suffered internal bruising along the right side of his body.
“A metal plate and screws had to be inserted into his pelvis to surgically repair it, and doctors can’t guarantee a full recovery.”
Representing Brown Engineering, solicitor Victoria Anderson said the firm took immediate steps to erect safety scaffolding around the kiln for further work.
She also pleaded with Sheriff Dickson to apply a lenient financial penalty, as the ailing business would have to make redundancies to cover a steep fine.
She said the company was operating at a loss of £140,000 and was “financially on its knees”.
Sheriff Dickson allowed the firm 18 months to pay a fine of £10,000.
He said the sum would have been higher but for the health and safety improvements it has made since the incident.
Mr Murray returned to work with Brown Engineering in a limited capacity at the beginning of the year.