Just in from the Health and Safety Executive…
A roofing company has been fined £16,650 following a preventable incident where an employee fell over three metres through a skylight opening during roof work in Northampton. The worker suffered serious injuries requiring surgery and long-term treatment, and given his age (31), it was a loss of potential earnings for decades to come, highlighting the long term human and financial cost of safety failure.
Critical Safety Failure
The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to properly plan work at height activities and implement essential safety measures.
The failure occurred when covers over two large skylight openings were removed as part of preparation for recovering a flat roof.
The HSE concluded:
- The risk of falling was not properly planned or supervised, leading to the employee sustaining serious injuries.
- Control measures, such as a crash deck or safety netting under the openings, were not in place.
Legal Outcome and Industry Warning
Kingsley Roofing Contractors Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £16,650 and ordered to pay an additional £9,205 in costs and victim surcharge.
HSE Inspector Chris Bennet emphasized the severity: “Falls from height are the most common kinds of fatal accidents… The fine imposed should underline that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to plan works at height extremely seriously.”
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