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Contractor failed to ensure safety measures in place despite prohibition notices
Roofing contractor CFR Flat Roofing has been fined after repeatedly putting workers at risk by ignoring urgent orders to improve safety.
Three workers were replacing tiles on a sloping roof near an unprotected gable end of a three-storey building at Thornhill Court in Cardiff on 5 August 2010 at some 8-10m above the ground.
The visiting HSE inspector issued a Prohibition Notice ordering work to stop immediately until safety barriers were put in place on the roof. CFR Flat Roofing had already received a prohibition notice for breaching the Work at Height regulations in January 2010 and made aware of their duties under regulations.
Contractor knew what to do but decided not to act
On returning to check on compliance HSE found that the firm had again failed to ensure work at height was carried out safely with suitable equipment. There were still no precautions in place to prevent the three employees from falling off the roof.
Martin Nealon, trading as CFR Flat Roofing, of Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and was fined £5,985 and ordered to pay costs of £1,800.
HSE Inspector, Simon Breen said:
“Falls from height are the single biggest cause of fatalities in the construction industry. CFR Flat Roofing had no excuse in this instance – they knew how to ensure the safety of their workers but decided to not to.
If work is carried out at height then all appropriate measures should be put in place to reduce the risk of falling. Common sense and practical solutions exist to prevent fatalities. All employers have a duty to assess risks in the workplace and put in place sensible health and safety measures to manage them.”