Two companies fined following fall from height
Health and Safety Executive v Oswestry Shropshire Scaffold Ltd and Centreco (UK) Ltd (2018) Leeds magistrates’ court, June 6
Statutory reference: s.3 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (HSWA)
Two companies have been fined after a subcontractor suffered serious injuries in a fall from height.
The facts
In December 2015 Jhanade Ryan, a subcontractor engaged by Centreco, was installing solar panels on a roof.
He slipped on the roof and slid down to the edge protection. The edge protection board snapped and he fell through the scaffold. He fell five metres onto a flat roof and suffered fractures and nerve damage. He remains unable to work.
Oswestry Shropshire Scaffold Ltd had not erected the scaffold to a known industry standard or design.
Roof lights were present on the roof and Centreco had failed to take effective measures to prevent workers falling through these fragile surfaces.
The decision
Oswestry Shropshire Scaffold Ltd was fined £28,000 plus £945 costs for a breach of s.3 of HSWA.
Centreco (UK) Ltd was fined £33,500 plus £945 costs for the same offence.