Prosecutions

The worker was repairing the roof on the former textile dye house in Leicester on 3 June 2009 when it gave way and he landed on the concrete floor six metres below. His skull and back were fractured and he died from his injuries later that evening.

He had been instructed to carry out the work by his employer, who was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to ensure the work he arranged to be carried out was properly planned, supervised or carried out in a safe manner.

He pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was today given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for two years at Leicester Crown Court. He was also ordered to pay compensation of £13,800 to the victim’s family and full costs of £17,337.

Passing sentence the judge said the worker’s death was a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented. He said there were clear lessons to be learned and urged anyone working on buildings to treat health and safety as their top priority in order to prevent injury or death.

After the hearing a HSE inspector said:

"The roof was made of corrugated asbestos cement sheets, and the work required careful planning and consideration of the risks involved. Tragically, the employer failed to do this and to properly supervise the work which resulted in the needless death of a husband and father.

"Safe routes and protective equipment should have been in position to allow the victim to get to work areas without injury, and measures to prevent or mitigate any falls should have been in place.

"Work at height remains a major cause of injury and fatalities in the workplace and for this reason it is important appropriate planning, supervision and safety measures are essential. This becomes even more critical when a job involves work on or near fragile roofing materials as at this site."