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Swindon roofers sentenced after breach of work at height regulations

27th September 2019

Two partners from a roofing company have both received six month suspended prison sentences after their employees were found to be working on a roof in unsafe conditions.

Swindon roofers

The two individuals, both from Salisbury, pleaded guilty at Swindon Magistrates’ Court and will now have to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and have been ordered to pay costs of £1836.31 each.

Their employees were seen working on a roof at a bowling club in Salisbury during 2018. The workers were operating with unsafe access, without edge protection and with nothing in place to prevent falls through the fragile roof material.  A subsequent investigation by HSE found that the partners had failed to ensure that the work at height was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely.

Fortunately, no workers were injured but with falls from height still one of the most common causes of injuries in the workplace it is no surprise that HSE took action against those responsible.

In a statement following the court hearing a HSE inspector said, “Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”