Three firms fined for worker’s roof fall
A subcontractor who fell four meters through a fragile roof light into an office space below suffered six fractures to his back. Three construction companies have been fined for breaching health and safety legislation.
On 17 December 2015, the employee of Wessex Insulation Limited was injured when he was installing insulation to new ventilation ductwork on the roof of the Mountbatten Leisure Centre in Portsmouth.
Investigating, the HSE found that three companies – Dantherm Limited (the principal contractor), Wessex Building Services Limited (the main contractor on site) and Wessex Insulation Ltd (the insulation sub-contractor) – had failed to sufficiently plan and manage the risk of falling through rooflights.
The companies were charged and fined as follows:
Dantherm Limited of Windmill Business Park, Cleavedon, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 and was fined £30,666 and ordered to pay costs of £6,646.16.
Wessex Building Services Limited of Wessex House, Shaftesbury, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £425,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,646.16.
Wessex Insulation Limited of Albany Road, Weymouth, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £70,833 and ordered to pay costs of £6,646.16.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Jane Beckmann said:
“Falls from height remain the most common cause of work-related fatalities and serious injuries in the construction industry and the risks associated with working at height are well-known.
“Working on or near fragile materials at height can be particularly dangerous and it is very important that those in control of the work identify the risk, plan to eliminate it if possible, or where it is not possible, take appropriate precautions to safeguard workers and others. Good management will also include regular monitoring that the controls in place are keeping people safe. It was fortunate that in this instance the worker involved made a full recovery, but it could have been a very different outcome.”
Fall Protection
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Working at Height
Although these workers were renovating a basement, the risk of falling was still there, therefore they were still technically working at height. Some don't realise how important putting all their training into practice at work can be, this man didn't realise he may face jail time for not being properly secured whilst working at height. Make sure to have a look at our working at height training where you can learn everything from how to correctly suit up in sufficient equipment to climbing correctly.