A ROOFING CONTRACTOR in Manchester has been fined £20,000 after an employee fell through a rooflight and suffered serious injuries.

The 24-year-old worker, employed by Hightech Roofing N/W Limited, was repairing a roof on a building in Blackburn.

Roofers on the project were using orientated strand boards (OSB) as crawl boards to move around the roof. The boards were placed where employees needed to step, but failed to cover some rooflights.

The Hightech Roofing worker fell approximately 4.8 metres through a rooflight on 3 August 2022.

The roofer suffered a broken back, foot and ankle.

No Edge Protection

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Hightech Roofing N/W Ltd failed to properly plan the roof work. It was not appropriately supervised nor as safe as reasonably practicable.

The company failed to assess the specific risks of working on or over fragile surfaces. It also failed to consider risks from employees working in proximity to the edge of the roof. No edge protection had been installed at the roof’s gable end.

HSE guidance states those carrying out roof work must be trained, competent and instructed in use of the precautions required.

A ‘method statement’ is the common way to help manage work on roofs and communicate the precautions to those involved. More on this can be found at: Construction – Roof work industry health & safety.

Roofing Contractor Fined

Hightech Roofing N/W Limited, of Grimshaw Street, Failsworth, Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £5,858.46 in costs at Preston Magistrates’ Court on 9 May 2024.

HSE Inspector Sam Eves said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

>> Read about more roofing accidents in the news

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