Nottingham Magistrates' Court yesterday fined Michael Hallwood and his son Michael Thomas Hallwood, partners in Cladding Coatings, after a worker was seen risking his life on a roof at Farrar Close, off Brunel Drive, Newark, on 8 June 2010.
A member of the public reported the incident to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after photographing the worker cleaning the roof, which contained approximately 80 potentially fragile roof lights, using no safety equipment, edge protection or harnesses to prevent falls.
Mr Hallwood, of Ashmond, Springhead, Oldham, and his son, of Bradley Fold, Oldham, pleaded guilty to breaching section 4(1)(c) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. They were fined £2,500 each and ordered to pay costs of £2,604 between them.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Lee Greatorex said: "Fortunately no one was injured on this occasion, but Mr Hallwood Senior, his son and their employees were at risk. This was a blatant disregard for health and safety which put people in danger.
"Roofing work requires careful planning and assessment of the risks involved. In this case employees were working without the correct equipment to protect them from falls.
"Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and it's crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and that sufficient measures are put in place to protect staff from the risks."
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
