London Underground has been fined after a maintenance worker fell down a former lift shaft at a disused station in the north of the city.

The rail operator was prosecuted by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) under a breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £500,000 with costs of £50,000.

The ORR carried out an investigation into the incident, which occurred on 22 September 2014.

The injured worker was cleaning a former lift shaft in a disused station at South Kentish Town when he fell 9.5 metres from a tower scaffold. The employee suffered a number of injuries and spent ten days in hospital.


ORR's investigation found London Underground failed to properly plan, manage and supervise the work. In addition, evidence found procedures were available which may have prevented this incident, however they were not implemented and followed. The tower scaffold was also incorrectly assembled and its stability had not been assessed.

Keith Atkinson, HM Principal Inspector of Railways said: "In 2014, London Underground's failure to properly plan, manage or supervise maintenance work at the disused station in South Kentish Town, led to a worker spending ten days in hospital, and could have been fatal.

"London Underground has a good safety record, but this incident highlights why there can be no room for complacency.

"Safety remains a top priority for the rail regulator. We will always take action against companies or individuals where failings are found."

(LM)