A roofing contractor has been sentenced after an unpaid casual labourer fell through a skylight during the renovation of an old asbestos cement roof in Exeter
Plymouth Magistrates’ Court heard that on 23 October 2018 Ian Davey (trading as Exe Fibreglass) allowed the labourer, who wanted to gain industry experience having never previously worked on roofs, to cut fibreglass for the old asbestos cement roof of the industrial building.
Having cut the fibreglass, the labourer went up onto the roof to observe the fitting by Mr Davey and another colleague. A fragile skylight gave way beneath him and he fell five and a half metres to the floor below. He suffered multiple fractures to his hand and wrist, which required surgical wiring to repair, and also factures to his ribs.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation and found that the work had not been properly planned. It was apparent that there was a lack of training or experience in the supervision of others working at height and no preventative safety measures in place for the skylights such as netting, crawl boards or safety harnesses in use.
Ordered to pay of £3,000
Ian Davey of Beacon Hill, Exmouth pleaded guilty to breaching Section 9(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The roofing contractor was sentenced to a 12 month community order, which includes 80 hours of unpaid work, and has been ordered to pay costs of £3,000.
Following the hearing HSE inspector Peter Buscombe said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply using correct control measures and following safe working practices.
“Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related injury and fatality in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.”
