Worker died after falling from height

Two Hampshire based companies have been fined after a 42-year old man died following a roof fall.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that on 20 July 2012 the sub-contractor working for Quality 1^st Building Services Ltd was undertaking remedial work to a roof at a domestic property in Ringwood, Hampshire when he fell seven metres from the roof to the ground and later died of head injuries.

The Health and Safety Executive’s investigation found that the principal contractor for the site, E.P. Abley Ltd, and Quality 1^st Building Services Ltd had failed to ensure the roof work being undertaken had the correct edge protection to prevent falls from height occurring.

Failure to communicate

It was also found both companies had failed to clearly communicate and co-ordinate the work being undertaken on the site in a safe and appropriate manner.

Quality 1^st Building Services Ltd of Northfield Road, Ringwood, Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2015, and was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,500.

E.P. Abley Ltd of Avon Castle Drive, Ringwood, Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £26,667 and ordered to pay costs of £22,500.

Planning work

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector, Caroline Penwill said: “This case highlights the importance of properly planning work at height, to avoid tragic incidents such as this.

“This death could have easily been prevented had both companies taken safety measures before any work at height had begun.”

Approaches to managing the risks associated Musculoskeletal disorders

In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, we hear from Matt Birtles, Principal Ergonomics Consultant at HSE’s Science and Research Centre, about the different approaches to managing the risks associated with Musculoskeletal disorders.

Matt, an ergonomics and human factors expert, shares his thoughts on why MSDs are important, the various prevalent rates across the UK, what you can do within your own organisation and the Risk Management process surrounding MSD’s.

Listen now!