Roofing firm prosecuted over repeat of poor risk management
Newlook Roof Coatings Ltd has been fined after work took place on the roof of a house without safety measures in place. This was despite an workman being injured in a fall some five months earlier. The prosecution followed a complaint about the work at a detached house in Stourport on 26 March 2012.
Kidderminster Magistrates heard (20 June) that two employees used an unsecured ladder to reach the roof in order to clean and paint the tiles. There was no scaffolding around the edge of the roof to prevent them falling to the ground below.
The court was told that the company had been before the courts on a previous occasion after a 26 year-old workman fell from a roof in 2011.
No excuse given previous warnings to the defendant
Newlook Roof Coatings Ltd, of Monmouth, was charged with two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 following the incident in Stourport in March 2012.
The company was fined £11,500 and ordered to pay costs of £6,737 after pleading guilty to the offences, which relate to failing to properly plan work at height and failing to ensure measures are taken to prevent workers being injured in a fall.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Sue Adsett said:
“This is the second time Newlook Roof Coatings has been prosecuted over unsafe work at height, and follows an incident where a worker was injured after falling from a roof.
It was only luck that no one was seriously injured on this occasion. There was no excuse for not erecting scaffolding around the roof for a job lasting a day or more like this, especially given the previous warnings the company has had.
I hope this latest prosecution will mean Newlook finally gets the message about the importance of safety when it comes to working at height.”