A construction company and a roofing firm have been prosecuted under the CDM Regulations, after a worker was seriously injured in a “wholly avoidable” fall through the roof of a South Shields community centre, which left him with six broken ribs.
Tony Brown, 55, from Newcastle was employed as a roofer by M & C Roofing Contractors Ltd. He fell four metres in the incident on 7 December 2012. It took him a number of months to recover.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted his employers and the principal contractors for the project, Brims Construction, after an investigation identified serious safety failings.
HSE inspectors found that there were no suitable safety measures in place to prevent a person falling through the rooflight holes. There had been nets installed to the steel framework just below the roof, but these had been removed more than two weeks before the incident.
Brims Construction, of Austin Boulevard, Quay West Business Park, Sunderland was fined £50,000 after being found guilty of breaching Regulation 22(1)(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. The company was also ordered to pay £35,000 costs.
M & C Roofing Contractors Ltd, of Brunswick Industrial Estate, Wideopen, Newcastle, was fined £8,000 after being found guilty of breaching Regulation 13(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. The company was also ordered to pay £999 costs.
Speaking after the case HSE inspector Emma Scott said: “This was a wholly avoidable incident that resulted in serious injuries to Mr Brown, and which could have easily been fatal.
“Work at height is a high risk activity and falls from height remain the single biggest cause of death and serious injury in the construction industry.”
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[…] Employer and principal contactor fined following fall – A construction company and a roofing firm have been prosecuted under the CDM Regulations, after a worker was seriously injured in a “wholly avoidable” fall through the roof of a South Shields community … […]