A roofing company has been fined a total of £881,000 after two workers were seriously injured during two separate incidents.
One of the victims, a worker at the roofing company, fractured his pelvis after falling through a factory roof in Newcastle. Meanwhile, a 24-year-old labourer employed by a scaffolding company broke his femur after falling through the roof of a building in Swansea while working on a project run by the roofing company involved.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated both incidents and prosecuted the roofing company. A business partner of the scaffolding company was also prosecuted by HSE following the incident in Swansea.
On 11 November 2019 one of the victims, 60, fractured his pelvis, left wrist and eye socket after falling through the roof of a factory in Throckley, Newcastle upon Tyne.
He had been replacing a skylight when he fell and landed on the concrete floor seven metres below. He was in hospital for three weeks after the incident.
The victim said: “You don’t go to work in the morning and expect to end up in intensive care but that’s what happened to me. It’s been four years since my accident and I don’t know really do anything with my days. I really miss work. I was a roofer for 40 years but this accident changed everything because I still can’t work. I used to earn a good wage, but now I’m classed as 51% disabled and I rely entirely on benefits.”
The HSE investigation found the company failed to properly plan and carry out the work to replace the skylight. The work at height had not been thoroughly assessed as a standalone piece of work. The investigation also found that safety nets were in place on other sections of the roof but not directly underneath the skylight where the accident happened.
On 3 June 2019, a scaffold labourer was crossing a fragile roof when he fell through a skylight at a unit at Plasmarl Industrial Estate in Swansea. The 24-year-old landed on his back approximately 20 feet on the floor below. He fractured his femur and suffered a blood clot in one of his main arteries, which required long-term medication.
HSE found that the roofing company, the principal contractor for the project, failed to plan, manage and monitor the work undertaken by the scaffolding company, the sub-contractor, to prevent unsafe work practices being used. A business partner at the scaffolding company failed to plan the work properly and ensure staff had appropriate skills, knowledge and experience. He also failed to provide appropriate fall protection on the roof.
Following the incident on 11 November 2019 the roofing company was found guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, following a two-week trial in April 2023. Following a three-day sentencing hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on 6 December 2023, the roofing company was fined £575,000 and ordered to pay £84,940.08 in costs.
The HSE’s inspector said: “Too many workers are injured or die every year as a result of falling through fragile rooflights without adequate fall prevention or protection measures in place.
“These were both shocking incidents, which had a lasting impact on those who were injured.
“The law is clear about the measures needed to ensure safety when working on fragile roofs and there is a wide range of guidance available from HSE and the Construction industry on correct ways of working. HSE will not hesitate to take action against employers who do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”
Source: HSE