by business editor Trevor Sturgess

A construction firm has been fined £20,000 after a teenager suffered horrific burns to his legs at its depot in Sevenoaks.

O'Keefe Construction (Greenwich) Ltd, of St Andrews House, Dreadnought Street, Greenwich, was also ordered to pay costs of £6,329.

Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court heard that on October 26, 2009, an 18-year-old man, who asked not to be named, was in a shed at the site, spray painting a lighting tower.

The employee used thinners in the process and inadvertently spilled some on his trousers

When he walked across the shed to go to his locker and find a change of clothes, he walked near a gas burner which was being used to heat the workshop.

His clothes caught fire and he ran outside where he was helped by colleagues who hosed him down and put out the flames.

The worker suffered burns to both legs, his left arm and his hand. He was in hospital for 16 days, six of which were spent in intensive care.

Since then he has undergone skin grafts and been unable to work for six months.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the spray shed had several health and safety failings.

HSE inspector Caroline Penwill said: "In this case, the company had assessed the risks from paint spraying and had identified measures to control the risks, but had not put them in place.

"It is important that the findings of a risk assessment are acted upon.

"Had the company done so, then this terrible incident could have been prevented."