Roofer fined for unsafe work at height

A Middlewich roofer has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and fined for failing to protect his employees when working at height.

Arthur Boswell, trading under the company name AB Tile Protection, was fined £260 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £3,275 after one of his workers was caught washing the sloping roof of a house without any safety measures in place to prevent him falling.

The HSE decided to inspect the site after receiving a complaint from a worried member of the public. They found that Mr Boswell had failed to set up any scaffolding, edge protection or any other safety equipment which would have stopped the worker from falling from the roof and seriously injuring himself.

Declan Gerachty, the HSE Inspector who visited the house on 15th September 2010, said: “There was absolutely nothing in place at the property to stop Mr Boswell’s employee falling more than 20 feet to the ground and sustaining serious or fatal injuries.

“At the time of my visit, the employee was using a power washer to clean moss and other detritus from the roof; this would have made the roof slippy and therefore increased the risk of a fall.

“Around a dozen roofers are killed each year in the UK as a result of falls from height, and the majority of these could have been prevented if those carrying out the work had planned the work properly and taken adequate precautions.”

At the time of the visit, Mr Boswell was served with an immediate prohibition notice ordering him to stop work. Last month, at Trafford Magistrate’s Court, he pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was issued with his fine.

First Response Training offer special focus training in Working at Height, either as a direct provision training course or, alternatively, via e-learning.

The direct provision Working at Height training course is 3 hours in duration and teaches delegates the principles of safe working at height and the importance of conducting a risk assessment prior to undertaking any activity involving work at height. Attendees of the course will also develop an understanding of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The course content includes hazard identification, personal safety, ladder safety and accident prevention and reporting.

Pete Stock, E-learning Account Manager at First Response, says that the online training option is a cost-effective alternative to the practical course: “E-learning is ideal for staff inductions and competency updates as it ensures consistent training across the whole of your organisation. Our e-learning courses offer high quality, interactive training.

“The Work at Height e-learning course is a particularly good one for roofing and construction companies as falls from height cause thousands of major injuries every year and, last year alone, 12 workers lost their lives as a result of a fall from height. It is vital that companies and their workers know how to prevent falls and work safely at height.”

To find out more, please call First Response Training today on freephone 0800 310 2300.