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Roofing contractor caught on camera failed heed prohibition call
A small roofing contractor has been prosecuted after he and and two employees worked on a shop roof without protection to stop falls from the roof of a hairdressers’ in Colne, Lancs.
Ross’s Roofing (Ross Singleton T/A) was photographed by an HSE inspector and Burnley Magistrates heard the inspector issued a Prohibition Notice ordering the work to stop. However, despite initially stopping work the contrator later returned to the roof without any safety measures in place.
The court was told the work also put members of the public at risk as it was carried out above a busy row of shops with the risk that falling debris could strike a passer-by.
Defendent ignored the prohibition notice
Ross Singleton pleaded guilty to breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and the HSW Act 1974 for failing to take action to prevent workers being injured in a fall and ignoring a Prohibition Notice. He was fined £350 and ordered to pay £300 in prosecution costs on 12 January 2012.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Jacqueline Western said:
“Ross Singleton and the two other men were working nearly 3m above ground – a height that could have resulted in a serious injury if any of them had fallen.
He should have treated the Prohibition Notice as a formal warning and stopped work until safety measures, such as guard rails, were in place. Instead he ignored the notice and has found himself in court as a result.
Dozens of people die every year as a result of a fall while at work. Roofers should treat the risks seriously and take action to make sure workers stay safe.”