A roofing contractor has been fined £10,000 after an employee fell from a shoddy scaffold tower.
The company was prosecuted after a worker fell 4m and suffered bleeding on the brain and damage to his lungs and ribs.
The employee was working on a soffit and fascia installation when his platform fell from the ladder brackets which were supporting it.
The Problem
The subsequent HSE investigation found that the equipment provided by the company was not suitable for the work as there were no guardrails or toe boards and it was not installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The company was found guilty of breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £1,229 and a victim surcharge of £120.
Commenting after the case HSE inspector said: “Falls from height remain the most common form of workplace fatality. There is no excuse for not planning work at height properly or ensuring the appropriate safety equipment is used. Access equipment used for working at height should always be installed in line with manufacturer’s instructions.
“This equipment had no guard rails to prevent a person from falling and it could have easily cost this man his life.
“It is vital to ensure that equipment is in good order as structural failures can have terrible consequences. The roofing industry is well aware of the risks involved whilst working at height and the controls which should be put in place to manage those risks.”
The Easi-Dec range of Access Platforms such as the Roofline System have been designed specifically to enable work on soffits and fascia to be carried out safely.