Roofer fined after putting employees at risk

The Health and Safety Executive has prosecuted a roofer after he put himself and two of his employees at risk of falling more than seven metres from a building.

Loughborough Magistrates Court heard how Dean Paul Shaw, trading as Streamline Guttering and Cladding failed to provide adequate safety equipment for himself and two employees while working on the roof of a seven metre high building between 8 December 2008 and 16 January 2009. The court also heard how Mr Shaw and his employees accessed the roof by a mobile tower at the front of the building, however work was also being carried out at the back of the building which had no tower or scaffolding in place.

Mr Shaw pleaded guilty to breaching three regulations of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for failing to prevent, as far as reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury. He was fined £4950 and ordered to pay costs of £1314.40.

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.

Inspector Lockwood concluded: "Falls from height cause more workplace deaths than anything else. Working at height can be very dangerous if the right measures are not taken to protect workers."

Find out more about Working at Height.