Roofing Company Owner Sentenced for Unsafe Work at Height

A suspended sentence was handed out to a Merseyside-based roofing company owner in February following a 2021 incident that saw a member of the public report concern for unsafe works at height.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the company owner and two workers had been replacing roof tiles of a detached dormer bungalow at a residence in Merseyside, but had failed to implement scaffolding or edge protection that would prevent a fall of a distance liable to cause personal injury.

An investigation was carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which found that the company Director had failed in his duty to take suitable and sufficient measures to ensure work at height was carried out safely. He had also failed to provide sufficient work equipment to prevent a fall or minimise the distance or consequences of a fall.

This incident was not the first time that HSE had uncovered poor working practices from the owner of the roofing company; having prosecuted him for a similar offence in 2012.

Speaking of the prosecution, Claire Oakes, Consultancy Director at SIMIAN, said, “Breaches such as this are all too common. For work that is anything other than short duration and very light in nature, the best option is very often scaffolding, which serves the dual purpose of providing a safe means of access to the work area and a means for protecting against falls.”

The owner was found guilty of breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and received a 13-month suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

SIMIAN can assist with planning and monitoring construction and scaffolding work, so if you’re unsure of the best way to tackle a job, please get in touch via hello@simian-risk.com.