Company fined £75,000 over roofer’s ‘avoidable’ death
H&M Engineering & Roofing Specialists (NI) Limited has been prosecuted for multiple work-related offences relating to the death of one of its employees.
The company earlier pleaded guilty to five health and safety offences and a separate offence of corporate manslaughter, and on 12 March was fined a total of £75,000.
The charges arose as a result of an HSENI investigation into an incident that took place on 3 December 2016, which led to the death of Mr Hugh Thomas Jack, an employee of the company.
The incident occurred at industrial premises where Mr Jack fell through an unsecured section of a roof. The work being undertaken at the time of the incident involved the over-cladding of an existing roof structure with new sheeting.
The HSENI investigation revealed that the company had failed to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of its employees. The roof work had not been properly planned and safety measures had not been put in place.
When working at height you should take all precautions possible, including cordoning off the space below. In all cases of working at height, the equipment used should be suitable for the job, and maintained and in good condition, and workers should be competent and trained to use the equipment and carry out the job safely. All workers should understand the job and the control measures that have been put in place to ensure their safety.
No fall prevention measures, including edge protection, were in place, nor were any measures to minimise the distance or consequences of a fall, such as safety nets, present on site at the time of the incident.
The company also failed to report the incident as a work-related death to HSENI.
Head of HSENI’s Major Investigation Team, Kyle Carrick stated:
“Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities and serious injuries in Northern Ireland. This case, which has resulted in a tragic loss of life, is one example where an early assessment of the risks would have quickly identified the safe working practices needed to ensure the safety of workers.
“I would urge everyone undertaking roof work, or working at height, to make sure they have taken the time to carry out a risk assessment to identify the dangers involved and make appropriate plans to control any risk. Where necessary they should seek competent advice before beginning any job.”
Further advice on working at height can be found here.
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