A Derbyshire based engineering construction company has been prosecuted after a worker suffered severe injuries when he fell 6 metres from a barn roof
A worker who was repairing the fibreboard roof of a barn and using two homemade crawling boards sustained serious injuries to his head, hip and lungs when he fell 6 metres on to the floor below, say the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Allen and Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd were fined after being found in breach of Work at Height regulations.
Derby Magistrates Court heard last month how, at the time of the incident on 30 July 2014, the employee was working as part of a pair to replace the roofing panels in the barn. The colleague he was working with was under the roof in a ‘man basket’ that had been attached to a telehandler, and when the incident occurred this colleague had to climb down the boom of the machine in order to help.
Derbyshire construction firm fined £267,000
An investigation by the HSE found that there were not sufficient platforms or coverings for the roof to protect the workers from the fall. The risk assessment and method statement – which would have told them how to run the work – was in the office rather than on site, and was not specific to the job being undertaken.
In addition, there were no separate controls for the man basket, leaving the worker inside stranded when his colleague fell and was injured.
Allen and Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd of Thorpe, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to breaches of Sections 4(1), 7 and 9(2) of the Working at Height regulations and were fined a total of £267,000.
The company was also ordered to pay costs of £7,750 as well as a victim surcharge of £120.
