Leicester man fined for unsafe work at height

Date:

24 February 2010

Release No:

HSE/EM/10

A roofer has been fined £4,950 after putting himself and two of his employees at risk of falling more than seven metres from a building.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Dean Paul Shaw (44), trading as Streamline Guttering and Cladding, of Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, for allowing work to take place on a roof without adequate safety equipment to stop him or his workers falling.

Mr Shaw was also ordered to pay costs of £1,314.40 at Loughborough Magistrates' Court yesterday (23 February) after pleading guilty to breaching three regulations of the Work At Height Regulations 2005.

The breaches happened when Mr Shaw and two employees were working on the roof of a seven-metre-high building between 8 December 2008 and 16 January 2009.

The three workers accessed the roof by a mobile tower at the front of the building, however they were also working on the back of the building, which had no tower or scaffolding in place.

The court heard that by not providing adequate safety equipment, Mr Shaw failed to ensure that the installation of new guttering was properly planned, did not provide appropriate supervision and failed to prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.

Prosecuting, HSE Inspector Mhairi Lockwood said:

"All three workers were walking across the roof - which also had fragile roof lights - to work on the back of the premises where there was no protection to stop them from falling. There was also a sharp palisade fence below which could have caused horrific injuries if anyone had fallen on it.

"Falls from height cause more workplace deaths than anything else. HSE's current 'Shattered Lives' campaign promotes awareness of the serious consequences of slips, trips and falls. Working at height can be very dangerous if the right measures are not taken to protect workers."

Last year more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work, and 21 workers in the construction industry died. For more information on HSE's shattered lives campaign go to www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states: Every employer shall ensure that work at height is - (a) properly planned; and (b) appropriately supervised.
2. Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states: Every employer shall ensure that, suitable and sufficient measures are in place to prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.
3. The HSE has recently re-launched its 'Shattered Lives' campaign, aimed at reducing the incidence of slips, trips and falls from height by showing employers and employees how easily they can happen and the simple, often cost effective, measures that can help reduce them. For more information, visit www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives
4. Visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.htm for more guidance on working at height.

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