A north-east roofing company has been fined £6000 and ordered to contribute to costs of £17,028 after it failed to ensure that roofing work was carried out safely on a building on Wearside.
Abercorn Homes, of Tyne and Wear, had pleaded not guilty to breaching regs.4(1)(c) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, by failing to carry out work at height in a safe manner, and failing to take precautions to prevent persons falling. The company was found guilty of both charges on 7 October at Sunderland Magistrates’ Court, after a three-day trial, and was fined £3000 on each charge.
Investigating HSE inspector Michael Brown said he had spotted three workers carrying out cladding work on the roof of the industrial building, at about four metres from ground level, on 3 November 2006. Edge protection had not been provided for the 50-metre-long eaves, although it was in place on the gable ends.
The inspector told SHP that a scissor lift had been inappropriately used to gain access to the roof, and also modified to carry materials. “The men should have used a stair-tower to access the roof,” he noted. “They had been working in this manner for about four weeks.”
Although the firm complied with a Prohibition Notice issued by the inspector, the HSE decided to prosecute, because “standards fell so far below those expected from a competent contractor.”
In its defence, Abercorn Homes said that what it had been doing was reasonably practicable. It had expected the men to work within the “safety zone” of the scissor lift, which was located sideways up against the building. But the inspector observed: “A scissor lift is not designed for edge protection, and the men also needed to leave the ‘safety zone’ to fetch materials.”
He added: “Abercorn Homes should have been well-versed in, and implemented, the necessary safety requirements. Those who manage or control work at height must ensure that the work is properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner.”
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