An absence of roof rails to prevent people and objects from falling during re-roofing work has led to one contractor being prosecuted and fined.
In November 2014, the Health & Safety Executive inspected re-roofing works on a property in Neston on the Wirral, and found roof access was being achieved via two poorly constructed scaffold towers.
These did not provide safe access to the roof without the risk of a fall from height – and the resultant risk of serious injury – while a lack of roof rails and other edge protection meant there were no real safeguards against people and objects dropping to the ground below.
HM Inspector of Health and Safety Phil Redman said: “This case should be a lesson to roof working companies and others who fail to comply with their duties under health and safety legislation, it is unacceptable for companies to put the lives of their workforce at risk.”
In this instance, the defendant was a contractor trading without Employers Liability Insurance, and was subsequently fined £1,500 for a total of three breaches of employment regulations, with a further £1,020 to pay in costs.