Roofing firm fined after employee’s fall
One of the partners of a building and roofing company based in Plymouth has been fined after one of the firm’s employees fell nearly six metres sustaining multiple injuries.
What happened?
Przemyslaw Borkiewicz was walking across a roof while carrying out work at the Evans Halshaw garage. As he did, he stepped on and fell through one of several Perspex roof lights set into the roof, plunging almost six metres onto the ground below.
An investigation into the incident found that the 24-year-old was not provided with adequate safety equipment which could have prevented or lessened the impact of his fall.
Additionally the court heard that Jim Woodley, partner of the firm and supervisor for the work, had no roofing or working at height qualifications, and no measures had been taken to do the task safely – for example; placing boards with edge protection on the roof or using a cherry picker to do the job.
What was the outcome?
Mr Woodley, of Direct Property Service was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £5,517 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of Work at Height regulations.
HSE Inspector, Helena Allum, said:
“Mr Borkiewicz suffered severe multiple injuries, including head injuries
and experienced great pain but was lucky not to
have lost his life in this incident.
“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 from the risks.
“There is no excuse for employers failing to safeguard
workers who have to work at height.”
If you have been affected by an accident at work, and you would like expert advice, contact Hampson Hughes Solicitors today on 0800 888 6888 or email
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