Worker's injuries lead to suspended sentences for roofers

Date:

7 November 2011

Release No:

HSE/EM/260/11

Two roofers have received suspended sentences after a Derbyshire office worker was injured when a roll of roofing felt crashed through the ceiling of her office.

Kathleen Philipson of Allestree, Derby, was sitting at her desk at offices in Nottingham Road, Ripley, when the metre-long, 37kg roll fell through a roof light and came through the ceiling, hitting her on the shoulder.

She was taken to hospital with injuries to her head, shoulder and left arm and was off work for two weeks following the incident on 22 September 2010.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found contractor Jason Lunt allowed re-felting work to start on the flat roof before adequate protection had been installed. It meant that as Gregory Wright, a self-employed roofer contracted by Mr Lunt, moved one of around six rolls of roof felt that were stood up on the roof, another one toppled over and fell through an unguarded roof light.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Lee Greatorex said:

"Mrs Philipson was extremely lucky not to have suffered more severe injuries. This was a frightening experience for her, but it could have been easily prevented had greater care been taken.

"Mr Lunt should have ensured an adequate system of work was in place and that roof lights were adequately protected before repair work began. As a roofer Mr Wright should have been aware the roof lights needed to be protected unless he had evidence they were capable of withstanding a substantial load.

"There were 22 sets of roof lights, only one of which had been covered or protected to prevent falls of people or materials through them during the re-felting job."

Jason Lunt, 41, of Valley Road, Bloxwich, in the West Midlands, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and Gregory Wright, also 41, of Tewkesbury Road, Bloxwich, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the same act.

They both received sentences of 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months on the condition that they complete 280 hours of community service. In addition they were both ordered to pay £2,114 costs each by Derby magistrates today.

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. Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 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.
3. Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: It shall be the duty of every self-employed person to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that he and other persons (not being his employees) who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety.

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