Vigilance can authoritatively report that three roofers without common sense who were spotted working on top of a Nottingham cash and carry store and having no safety equipment on have now been taught a few lessons in common sense, made to think of their personal safety and comply with HSE’s rules and regulations.
Vigilance’s Safety Team gathered that the roofers without respect for their lives and the laws of the land were spotted working without any safety equipment by a passing HSE inspector.
Their shame was such that the inspector noticed the workers were using no safety equipment, edge protection or harnesses to prevent falls. It was discovered this unsafe system of work had continued over a period of three weeks, risking injury to the roofers and to employees and customers inside the store.
Consequently, Nottingham Magistrates' Court last week fined their employers- roofing contractors SPV Road Carpet Ltd after the men were found risking their lives at the store on the Lenton industrial estate on 20 May 2009.
Vigilance learnt that SPV employee, Lewis Male, was also prosecuted for failing to take reasonable care of himself and others. The court heard Mr Male was replacing sky lights with two others on the roof when he was spotted by a passing HSE inspector.
The colossal nature of this public obloquy was such that at the trial SPV Road Carpet Ltd, of Aldridge, Walsall had no choice but to plead guilty to breaching section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for failing to protect their own employees and members of the public in the store at the time. It was fined £14,000 with £6,659 costs.
As the long arm of the law caught up with Mr Male, of Parsons Cross, Sheffield, he too like his employers pleaded guilty, but to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was fined £480 and ordered to pay costs of £650.
HSE inspector Frances Bailey said: "Roofing work requires careful planning and assessment of the risks involved. In this case employees had been working for three weeks without the correct equipment to protect them from falls and without adequate supervision.”
Ms Bailey added: "Fortunately no one was injured on this occasion, but both employees and members of the public inside the store below were at risk. Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and it's crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and that sufficient measures are put in place to protect staff and members of the public from the risks."
In recent times, workplace accidents have been on the rise due to gross negligence. In fact, last year alone, a source at the HSE said more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work, and 21 workers in the construction industry died.