Roofer fell six meters firm fined £60000

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A roofing contractor has been fined after an employee fell six metres from a fragile roof with no fall protection.

Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard that on 21 June 2017, a man was working on the roof at Lok N Store facility, Basingstoke with two other roofers as part of a 10-week long roof replacement project. The old asbestos cement sheet roof was being removed and replaced with trisomet sheeting. The man and a colleague were working up on the roof and another colleague was working within the building to remove bolts from the underside of the old roof. The man fell 6.7m from the open edge of the roof to the concrete floor below. He sustained multiple fractures.

An investigation by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Lane Roofing Contractors Ltd failed to properly plan and appropriately supervise the work to ensure that the risks created by working at height on a roof was carried out in a safe manner.

Lane Roofing Contractors Ltd of Walsall Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company has been fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,164.80.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Sharron Cripps said: “Falls from height remain the most common cause of work-related fatalities and serious injuries in the construction industry and the risks associated with working at height are well-known.

“Working at height, with large open edges can be particularly dangerous and it is important that those in control of the work identify the risks posed by replacing roofs and then take appropriate control measures to safeguard workers and others, to ensure that the risks are being managed.”