Firm fined after roofing contractor breaks backRSS Feed

A firm has been fined after a roofing contractor fell through a skylight and broke his back in an accident at work.

The worker was removing tarpaulin from a one-storey roof extension in 2006 when it snagged and the man stepped on some insulating board on top of the skylight, which gave way and he fell three metres onto a concrete floor.

He suffered a broken back as a result of the accident at work and is left able to walk only short distances with a walking stick.

James Thompson, of James Thompson Carpentry and Building, was supervising this work and was found to be in breach of Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,000.

HSE inspector Ian Seabrook said: "This incident could easily have been avoided, and illustrates there is no room for complacency even when working on small sites."

Meanwhile, telecommunications firm BT has been fined following an accident at work in which a man died after falling from a step ladder at a telephone exchange.

Accident claims advice from Serious Law

Posted by M E Dixon

 

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