Firm fined for unsafe roof work

Date:

3 November 2011

Release No:

HSE/256

Three roofers were spotted working on top of a Nottingham cash and carry store without any safety equipment by a passing Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, a court heard.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court today fined roofing contractors SPV Road Carpet Ltd after the men were found risking their lives at the store on the Lenton industrial estate on 20 May 2009.

The roofers were spotted working without any safety equipment by a passing HSE inspector

SPV employee, Lewis Male, was also prosecuted for failing to take reasonable care of himself and others. The court heard Mr Male was replacing sky lights with two others on the roof when he was spotted by a passing HSE inspector.

The inspector noticed the workers were using no safety equipment, edge protection or harnesses to prevent falls. It was discovered this unsafe system of work had continued over a period of three weeks, risking injury to the roofers and to employees and customers inside the store.

SPV Road Carpet Ltd, of Aldridge, Walsall pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to protect their own employees and members of the public in the store at the time. It was fined £14,000 with £6,659 costs.

Mr Male, of Parsons Cross, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was fined £480 and ordered to pay costs of £650.

HSE inspector Frances Bailey said:

"Roofing work requires careful planning and assessment of the risks involved. In this case employees had been working for three weeks without the correct equipment to protect them from falls and without adequate supervision.

"Fortunately no one was injured on this occasion, but both employees and members of the public inside the store below were at risk.

"Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and it's crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and that sufficient measures are put in place to protect staff and members of the public from the risks."

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. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. 2 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states that employers should ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the safety of employees at work, in particular by providing such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure safety during work at height.
3. Section 3 (1) of the same Act states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."
4. Section 7 of the same Act states: "It shall be the duty of every employee while at work-
   1. to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work; and
   2. as regards any duty or requirement imposed on his employer or any other person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, to co-operate with him so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with.
5. Visit www.hse.gov.uk/falls for more guidance on working at height.

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