A roofing contractor has been sentenced after an unpaid casual labourer fell through a skylight during the renovation of an old roof, at an industrial building in Exeter.
Plymouth Magistrates’ Court heard that on 23rd October 2018, the labourer, who had never previously worked on roofs, was instructed by Ian Davey (trading as Exe Fibreglass) to cut fibreglass for the roof of the building. Once the fibreglass was cut, the labourer, who was on work experience, went up onto the old asbestos cement roof to observe the fitting by Mr Davey and another colleague. Once on the roof, the inexperienced labourer stepped on a fragile skylight, which gave way under his weight causing him to fall five and a half metres to the floor below. The injuries sustained included, factures to his ribs and multiple fractures to his hand and wrist, which required surgical wiring to repair.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the work had not been properly planned. There was a lack of training or experience in the supervision of others working at height. There were no preventative safety measures in place for the skylights such as netting, crawl boards or safety harnesses in use.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Peter Buscombe said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply using correct control measures and following safe working practices”.
Ian Davey trading as Exe Fibreglass of Beacon Hill, Exmouth pleaded guilty to breaching Section 9(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was given a 12 month community order, which includes 80 hours of unpaid work, and has been ordered to pay costs of £3,000.
Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related injury and fatality within the UK with around 40 deaths a year, yet the risks associated with working at height are well known.
