Dovestone Contractors Ltd of Ocean Village in Southampton has appeared in court after an accident at work left an employee blind in one eye.
The 19 year old man was working at a building on Ashton Road in Hyde, near Manchester when the incident took place. He was removing wooden floorboards prior to the demolition of the building, when he was struck in the eye by a splinter.
An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive said the life changing accident could have been prevented had the man's employer supplied him with a pair of safety goggles, at a cost of just £5.
The demolition firm admitted failures under health and safety laws and was fined £8,000. The firm was also ordered to pay £4,000 in costs.
The HSE inspector added that Dovestone's should have been well aware of the risk involved with removing floorboards in this way and was required by law to provide adequate eye protection.