Not accounting for workers’ safety has led to a fine for one British employer.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a builder was recently fined for safety failings after a worker was injured when he fell through the fragile roof of a cowshed.
James Coe, 25, from Strathaven, was one of several people employed by John Watson Leggate to repair the roof at a local farm when the incident occurred in August of 2010.
Hamilton Sheriff Court was told in late February of this year that Coe had been lifted up to the cowshed roof after standing on a silage cutter fitted to a tele-handler.
He stepped off the cutter and onto the roof, which was made of asbestos sheets that were just 6mm thick, before walking across it towards the ridge to access the opposite side. There were no supporting timbers or boards and suddenly and without warning the roof sheets on which he was standing collapsed inwards, causing him to fall. He struck tensioned wire underneath before landing on the wire.
Coe was taken to hospital with bruising to his ribs and a cut to his head. He was discharged the following day and made a full recovery within weeks.
A subsequent investigation by HSE noted that he had warned his workers to the dangers of the roof and its fragility, but that the advice given was to use timbers and boards to spread their weight. This method is viewed by HSE as woefully inadequate and out of date.
In addition, the use of the tele-handler and silage cutter provided a significant risk of falling and exposed the men to risk every time it was used to gain access to the roof.
Lack of Training Leads to Problems
The investigation also revealed John Leggate was not continually on site, attending only periodically to monitor the progress of the works, and that the instructions and advice that had been given to the men were inadequate. The men themselves were not competent and trained for the task.
HSE concluded that John Leggate had failed to properly plan and appropriately supervise work being carried out at height, and to ensure that the work was carried out in a safe manner.
John Watson Leggate, 73, of The Ward, Strathaven, was fined just over $1,250 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
According to HSE, falls through fragile roofs and fragile roof lights account for almost a fifth of all the fatal accidents which result from a fall from height in the construction industry.
On average seven people are killed each year after falling through a fragile roof or fragile roof light. Many others suffer a permanent disabling injury.
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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