Near accident injury sees roofing firm fined

Wirral Magistrates Court has fined a roofing firm after an accident injury was almost suffered by two of its staff when they were working on a roof in Wirral.

Rainsafe Protect Ltd admitted that it had made a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, as it did not ensure that work was conducted safely and properly planned at a home in Bebington, where the two staff members were employed.

The firm was fined £2,000 and instructed to pay prosecution costs of £2,069.

On March 26th last year, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) saw the two members of staff, who have not been named, on a sloping house roof pressure washing it, despite no scaffolding or safety barriers being added to the roof's edge to prevent an accident injury.

Sandra Tomlinson, an inspector with the HSE, said: "Falls from height are a major cause of workplace deaths and injuries in the UK. We will therefore continue to take legal action in cases where lives are put at risk."

According to the HSE, there were 3,215 major injuries to workers in the north-west of England in 2009/10.


Published by Hannah Carr