Company Fined After Worker Was Airlifted To Hospital Following A Fall

A Leicestershire roofing firm has been fined £6,666 for safety failings that resulted in a sub-contractor falling through a fragile roof light.

K & DE Barnett and Sons of Rearsby pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 following the incident in October last year.

The unnamed 29-year-old man was forced to miss three weeks of work after suffering several fractures to his wrist and pelvis, as well as bruising to his lungs and spine.

He had been attempting to lift a roof sheet from a stack that had been placed on top of a loading bay. In doing so, he overbalanced and trod on the light, which caved in and sent him hurtling to the concrete floor five metres below. The man was airlifted to hospital.

Although the company had conducted a risk assessment and prepared a method statement, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said this had not been discussed with the contractor before he started work.

The plans also failed to provide a safe system of working around fragile roof fittings and there was also no mention of the possible use of safety nets or harnesses.

Speaking after the hearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court, HSE inspector Tony Mitchell said the risk assessment in this case was "wholly inadequate".

"Work at height on or near fragile material is a major risk activity that can result in fatal or severe injury. The risks are foreseeable and there is ample guidance available on how to comply with the law and carry out work safely," he commented.

Incidents of this nature are not uncommon in the UK and the HSE continues to dish out fines to firms that breach working at height laws.

Last week, Bellway Homes of Newcastle was given a £10,000 penalty after a labourer suffered serious injuries - including a fractured forehead, jaw and cheekbone - when falling more than two metres to the ground.

Expert Opinion

Working at heights can be very dangerous, especially when working with fragile material. Unfortunately for the worker, the company did not share their risk assessment nor did they put any safety measures in place to prevent a fall from height occurring. <br/> <br/>“Due to inadequate safety measures, this man fell from a height of five metres in this work accident which caused several painful injuries and required him to take three weeks off work. A fall from such a height can cause life changing injuries and in some circumstances the outcome can be fatal. <br/> <br/>“Sadly we see many cases where people have suffered awful injuries from which they never fully recover, so It is vital that businesses in the roofing and construction industry learn lessons from such incidents and deliver the highest standard of health and safety to protect employees and stop incidents like this from happening again.” <br/>