HSE Draws Employers’ Attention to Risks of Working on Fragile Rooftops
Accidents at construction sites undergoing refurbishment, repair and maintenance are not uncommon. According to Martin Smith, an inspector with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the data for 2007-2008 shows that nearly 52 percent of all accidents at construction sites were related to repair work. In addition, 34 deaths occurred last year due to workers falling from heights at construction sites.
The HSE has shown renewed concern about these incidents because of a serious accident that occurred at ‘
Gateshead Magistrates Court came down heavily on the employer Webber Trading Ltd. that had taken the contract to cover the plastic roof lights with steel sheets. Both the company and its director Jeffrey Robinson, who was present at the site during the accident, were fined after they pleaded guilty.
The court imposed a fine of 6,000 pounds on the company for breaching section 3(1) and 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974. In addition to this, 15 pounds as victim surcharge and 2,838.20 pounds as costs were imposed on the company. Robinson was charged with the same sections of the Act and was ordered to pay a fine of 1,000 pounds along with costs of 200 pounds, and a 15-pound victim surcharge.
The court imposed a strict penalty in the hope that it will act as a deterrent and force the companies to fall in line. The HSE has also issued a formal warning to alert both the workers and the employers to guard against such wilful negligence and avoid such tragic accidents. The Building Regulations have health and safety implications for organisations throughout
