A London exhibition venue – The Business Design Centre Ltd in Islington, north London – has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), along with a contractor who was employed to repair a fragile roof.
The Business Design Centre contracted James Murphy, 64, from Chigwell in Essex to undertake repairs to the roof.
However, on 14 May 2015, a specialist contractor subsequently fell through the unsafe roof, which contained three fragile skylights and open edges.
The lead contractor had walked over the unsafe roof and had fallen through a skylight, dropping 5.5 metres to the ground. He suffered serious injuries, including a shattered pelvis, broken wrist and a broken elbow.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive into the incident found that the Business Design Centre had failed to ensure that access to and from the areas of the roof which required repair was suitable and safe – and that sufficient measures were in place to protect against the risks of falling from height.
James Murphy was also found to have failed to ensure that the job of accessing and then inspecting the auditorium roof was properly planned.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 28 September, The Business Design Centre Limited of Upper Street in Islington pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56.
James Murphy of High Road, Chigwell in Essex pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was fined £4,000 and also ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56.
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