Lives risked on slippery roof
A roofing firm has been prosecuted after it allowed two of its employees to work on a slippery roof without anything in place to stop them falling.
The two workers were spotted pressure washing the sloping house roof during a routine visit by an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive.
No safety barriers or scaffolding had been put up around the edge of the roof to stop the employees being seriously injured in a fall.
The court was told that the company had received advice about working at height from HSE on four separate occasions during the previous month, but had still allowed the roof to be recoated without safety measures in place.
The company pleaded guilty to a breach after it failed to make sure the work was planned and carried out safely at the house in Bebington. The company, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,069 in prosecution costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector said:
"It's extremely disappointing that, despite receiving advice from HSE on several occasions just a few weeks earlier, the company still allowed this work to go ahead without planning it properly and putting safety measures in place.”
Last year, more than 4,000 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height at work and 12 were killed.
Updated on 10/4/2011