British Airways fined for Rhoose engineer's brain injury

The company that maintains British Airways' planes has been fined £230,000 after an employee suffered a brain injury near Cardiff Airport.

Iain Mawson spent three weeks in an induced coma after falling from a platform at the aircraft maintenance hangar in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan.

The 52-year-old suffered a brain haemorrhage and a fractured skull.

British Airways Maintenance Cardiff Ltd has pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety guidelines.

Mr Mawson, an aircraft engineer, had been inspecting the wings of a Boing 747 jumbo jet when he fell fell through a gap in the guard rail of the docking platform, where safety barriers had been removed.

He suffered multiple fractures to his ribs, scapula, vertebrae and collar bone and has been unable to return to work since the fall in November 2019, the court heard.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had failed to adequately analyse the risks and avoid removal of guardrail safety barriers or ensure safety barriers were replaced.

Mr Mawson's solicitor said he was still trying to recover from the "life-changing" injury.

Lisa Gunner of Thompsons Solicitors, said: "Mr Mawson fell two metres while undertaking maintenance on a Boeing 747 and, as a result, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.

"Despite his positive attitude to his recovery, it will have a long-term impact on both him and his family."

As well as the fine, the company was ordered to pay costs of £21,623.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Sara Lumley said: "This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices."

BA Maintenance Cardiff said: "Safety is always our highest priority and we deeply regret that despite the processes we had in place, this incident was able to occur.

"We've worked hard to learn from this experience and have implemented further improvements to our safety measures and procedures."