Pembrokeshire farm silage fall injuries: family partnership prosecuted and fined

Fall injuries: Pembrokeshire family farm fined

Health and Safety Executive v Rees family partnership (2016) Haverfordwest magistrates’ court, March 14

The Rees family partnership has been fined after a worker fell through a skylight.

Significant points of the case

• In June 2014 the partnership contracted EAC to carry out a one-day silage harvest.

• An employee of EAC worked on sheeting the silage by lowering plastic sheeting from the roof of a cattle shed. This was not part of the contract but was under the direction of the Rees family partnership.

• The worker tripped and fell through a skylight four metres to the concrete floor below. He suffered a fractured arm and serious bruising.

• The work on the roof had not been planned and there was no safe system for the prevention of falls off or through the fragile roof.

The Rees family partnership was fined £5000 plus £1100 costs for a breach of regulation 6, Work at Height Regulations 2005.