Refurbishment firm fined for exposing workers to fall risk

Date:

30 January 2013

Release No:

HSE/M/22/13

A Willenhall refurbishment and shop fitting company has been fined for safety failings after instructing two employees to work at height without any protective measures or relevant roofwork training.

Unsafe work on the roof of a large furniture store in Bridgtown, Cannock

The men, who do not wish to be named, were working on the roof of a large furniture store in Bridgtown, Cannock, on 26 September 2011 for Fastrac Profiles Limited when they were spotted and photographed by a concerned member of the public.

A complaint was made to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which visited the Green Lane premises and found the workers were not trained for the roof repairs they were undertaking.

Stafford Magistrates' Court heard today (30 January) that they had been instructed to weld steel to uprights at the apex of a roof. The work was poorly planned and no risk assessment had been carried out. HSE inspectors also found that no fall-prevention measures, such as scaffolding, had been put in place.

Although the failings did not result in a fall or injury, the two employees, plus others working below them, were placed in unnecessary danger.

Fastrac Profiles Limited, of Neptune Industrial Estate, Willenhall, near Wolverhampton, was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £3,761 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work of Height Regulations 2005.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Alastair Choudhury said:

"Falls from height are a significant cause of fatalities and serious injuries. The risks involved with work at height are entirely foreseeable, and it is essential that proper planning, assessment and training is undertaken to reduce these risks.

"Those who neglect to do this, like Fastrac Profiles Limited, and who don't provide a safe system of work put workers at serious risk. They are clearly failing to comply with the required standard.

"I would like to thank the member of the public who brought this to our attention because the situation had the potential to lead to serious or fatal injuries for both men."

Further information on working safely at height can be found online at www.hse.gov.uk/falls

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce 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. Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states that every employer shall ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which is reasonably and practicably safe.

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