A construction company has been fined thousands of pounds for safety failings after a scaffolder fractured his spine and pelvis, broke four ribs and bruised his lung in a seven metre fall.

James Whelan, 31, from Wimbledon, could have been killed when he plunged seven metres through a fragile surface while working to extend a Sainsbury’s store in Wandsworth.

On Wednesday the construction company was fined £7,428 by a magistrates’ court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive established more could and should have been done to prevent the fall.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Bowmer & Kirkland, which operates across the UK, was responsible for refurbishing and extending an existing Sainsbury’s store.

The health and safety executive said Mr Whelan, who was working for a scaffolding sub-contractor, was walking in an area linking the roof space of the old store with the new extension when he stepped from an exposed timber walkway onto a section of dusty plasterboard that he assumed was the same material as the walkway.

He crashed through the fragile material and a suspended ceiling, ending up on a stairway beneath the roof space.

He still suffers pain and discomfort after fracturing parts of his spine and pelvis, breaking four ribs and bruising his lung in the fall on August 8, 2013.

Magistrates were told Bowmer & Kirkland sought to control the risks posed by the fragile area by restricting access to the walkway.

Instead more should have been done to physically mitigate the chances of a fall occurring in the first place, such as providing a better, properly guarded walkway or hard covers for the fragile materials.

Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd, based in Derbyshire, was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay a further £1,428 in costs after admitting a single breach.

After the hearing HSE inspector Gavin Pugh said: "The hazards presented by fragile surfaces and open edges are clear, and it is common knowledge that falls from height account for almost half of all deaths and serious injuries on construction sites.

"As such, companies like Bowmer & Kirkland should be fully aware of what needs to be done to adequately protect workers.

"The safety standards surrounding the walkway and fragile area fell some way short on this occasion, and it could have cost the scaffolder his life."