Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard that on 21st June 2017, a man fell while working for Lane Roofing Contractors on the roof at Lok N Store facility in Basingstoke.
He was working alongside two other roofers as part of a 10-week roof replacement project. An old asbestos cement sheet roof was being replaced with Trisomet panelling.
While one of the trio worked from within the building to remove roof bolts from the underside, the other two worked from on top of the 6.7-metre high roof.
The man who fell slipped from the open edge of the roof to the concrete floor below. He sustained multiple fractures.
An investigation by Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Lane Roofing Contractors Ltd failed to properly plan and appropriately supervise the work to ensure that the risks created by working at height on a roof was carried out in a safe manner.
Lane Roofing Contractors Ltd of Walsall Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company has been fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,164.80.
HSE inspector Sharron Cripps said after the hearing: “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 at height, with large open edges can be particularly dangerous and it is important that those in control of the work identify the risks posed by replacing roofs and then take appropriate control measures to safeguard workers and others, to ensure that the risks are being managed.”
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