Legal News
Property company fined after roofers are seen working without safety equipment (1 June 2015)
Date: 01/06/2015
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has successfully prosecuted a property company, after workers were spotted working at height in dangerous conditions.
HSE inspectors visited the site – a former aerospace plant in Hargher Street in Burnley, Lancashire – on 8 August 2014 and observed a worker stripping slates from a fragile roof, without any measures in place to prevent a fall through it or mitigate the potential life-threatening effects of such a fall.
The case of KML (Property) Ltd was brought to the attention of the HSE after a tip off from a member of the public who saw the workers on the roof of the property.
At Burnley Magistrates Court, KML (Properties) Ltd of Nelson in Pendle, Lancashire pleaded guilty to a breach of Work at Height Regulations and was fined £10,400.
The company also pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £2,000 for each breach.
The breaches related to failing to plan the work being undertaken – and also to provide adequate welfare facilities for operatives carrying out work on site.
KLM (Properties) Ltd was fined a total £14,400 – and the firm must also pay full HSE prosecution costs of £1,276 and a victim surcharge of £200.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Jacqueline Western – who investigated the case – said:
“These breaches of health and safety legislation were entirely preventable.
“Falls through fragile roofs are a common cause of work-related death or personal injury.
“Poor welfare facilities can cause significant health issues for workers – in this case the concern for operatives on site was exposure to biological hazard from bird droppings, rat infestation and contamination of the site.
“Comprehensive guidance and information is available to download free of charge from HSE’s website – and it is not unreasonable to expect a company in the business of construction and demolition to be aware of what the law requires.”
Figures show that 45% of deaths – a total of 19 out of 42 – on construction sites in the UK in 2014 were the result of falls from height.
A total of 581 workers suffered major injuries as a result of such falls – 35% of the total number of workers injured on construction sites.
Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – No win no fee Construction Workers’ Claims & Roofers’ Claims
Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise construction workers, contractors and roofers who have suffered injuries on construction sites as a result on negligence on how to make a no win no fee claim for compensation, including claims relating to:
• Asbestos disease
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Chemical burns
• Electrical shock
• Falls from height
• Industrial disease
• Road accidents (eg fork-lift truck accidents)
• Vibration white finger.
Personal injury claims usually have to be made within three years of injury or diagnosis of injury.
In cases where a loved one has lost their life as a result of negligence on a construction site, Duncan Lewis can also offer advice on how to make a Fatal Injuries Claim for compensation.
For expert legal advice on no win no fee Construction Workers’ Claims & Roofers’ Claims, call Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.