A Sheffield building company has been fined after a schoolboy on work experience fell 2.4 metres from a ladder.

A Sheffield building company has been fined after a schoolboy on work experience fell 2.4 metres from a ladder.

The 15-year-old was one of two students from a school completing a placement with Alan Fleischer Builders in March, 2010.

He was working on a project in West Street, Sheffield, converting an upstairs restaurant into flats and extending upwards into newly-created floors.

Although the school's work placement organisation had carried out a safety assessment on the building firm, it had not taken place on the site where the incident happened.

The student was working on the third floor, which was still under construction and only accessible by ladder. As he climbed down the ladder with a bucket in his hand, he fell 2.4 metres.

HSE said the work placement assessment allowed students to carry out general labouring duties but they were not expected to work at height. After the incident, students were stopped from returning to the site and all future placements to the company were suspended.

Alan Fleischer Builders in Dinnington was fined £1,500 with £1,320 in costs after pleading guilty to a charge of failing to ensure the safety of its employees.