Offences and penalties report - Joseph McEvoy

The summary

In July 2003 HSE investigated a fatal fall through a fragile roof in Liverpool. The deceased, Joseph McEvoy, a 52 year old general labourer, died in hospital after he fell through the roof onto the floor of the premises below. Mr McEvoy was working for a company that had been contracted to clean and repair skylights in the roof of the building. The company occupying the premises had failed to inform the contractor of the fragile nature of the roof, failed to operate their own contractor control procedures, and allowed their own staff to work whilst roof work was going on directly above. The contractor was not equipped to carry out roof work and was unfamiliar with basic precautions.

The personal cost

Mr McEvoy’s daughter Joanne, who was with him when he died, spoke of the terrible shock of her father’s death and the devastating effect on family life. “We were a close-knit family and I was the eldest of six sisters. Mum and Dad lived for us and my twin and youngest sister were only 14 and 12 years old when died. He was the rock of the family and always had time for his children and grandchildren. My Dad walked out of the house to go to work on a lovely sunny day and never came home. He had told my youngest sister to give a message to Mum that he would not be working late that night. But we were never to see him again and now two years later one of my sisters still has a lock of his hair under her pillow when she goes to bed at night. When we got the call about the accident that morning I was the first to arrive at the hospital. I waited for the ambulance to bring Dad in as they were trying to help him medically at the accident scene. He underwent an initial emergency operation to remove his spleen and then a further seven hours of surgery as the doctors battled to deal with massive trauma injury to the chest and head. They did everything in their power but he died the following night. My father had no training for roof work and died in such a terrible way. How do you ever come to terms with something like this? Our hearts were broken. …Such a lovely husband and dad lost to us for ever.”

The penalty

Both of the companies involved were prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company occupying the premises was fined £130,000 and ordered to pay £39,000 costs. The company contracted to carry out the work was fined £3,000.