23/02/2011 - Firm fined £15,000 over roof risks
A building firm has been fined £15,000 for leaving staff to work on a roof without the right safety precautions.
Birmingham-based Spanclad Construction was employed to put new windows in the roof of Adroit Modular Buildings in Worcester. This involved three members of staff working at a height of more than five metres but there was nothing to stop them falling as they moved across the roof to where they were working.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector visited the site on October 16 2009 on a job relating to another company and found the Splanclad Construction workers had to walk on 60cm wide boards on the roof to get to the skylights.
The HSE said there were no rails and nothing for people to hold onto as they walked across the boards. No safety measures had been taken underneath to prevent staff falling through the delicate roof to a concrete floor - there was no netting, birdcage scaffold or bags to provide a soft landing.
Worcester Magistrates' Court heard Spanclad Construction staff had been working on the building for at least three days before the inspector looked at the site. The firm, of Nursery Road, Edgbaston, has admitted breaking health and safety law and been fined £15,000. It must also pay £5,271 costs.
Inspector Paul Humphries said: "This is an unacceptable work practice, particularly as clear guidance on working at height is available from HSE."
Copyright Press Association 2011
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