Roofer's fall leaves colleague stranded

A worker was repairing a fibreboard roof of a barn and using two homemade crawling boards when he fell six metres on to the floor below.

Derby Magistrates Court heard how at the time of the incident on 30th July 2014, he was working for Allen & Hunt Construction Engineers in a two-man team replacing the roofing panels.

When he fell, his colleague was under the roof in a man basket attached to a telehandler with no means of getting down to help other than by climbing out of the basket and shinning down the boom.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that there were insufficient platforms or coverings for the roof to protect workers from falling. The risk assessment and method statement was back in the office and not specific to the job. There were also no separate controls for the man basket, leaving the user stranded when his colleague fell.

Allen & Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd of Thorpe, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to Sections 4(1), 7 and 9 (2) of the Working at Height regulations and was fined a total of £267,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,750 and a victim surcharge of £120.

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