The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a South Yorkshire engineering service company, after an employee fell around four metres and injured his back.

In August 2008, workers at Ultimate Industries Ltd were roofing a 'lean to' building that they had built in a compound at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd's car manufacturing site in Burnaston, Derbyshire.

The worker was on the roof of the fabricated frame fixing sheets to the ridge, when he

fell approximately 3.7 metres to the ground, sustaining serious back injuries.

HSE inspectors found that the work had not been planned properly – and Ultimate Industries failed to provide adequate safety equipment for working at height. The investigation also concluded that the company had failed to prevent – so far as was reasonably practicable – any person from falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.

On Wednesday, 22 April 2010, at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court, Ultimate Industries Ltd of 44 Northwood Drive, Sheffield pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £2,125.20 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Samantha Farrar said:

‘Working on roofs can be a high risk activity if the right measures are not taken to protect workers – and falls can result in life-changing injuries, or even death.

‘This case shows the need for companies to ensure that work at height is properly planned and supervised and that appropriate equipment is provided. 

‘Falls from height remain the most common cause of workplace deaths,’ she added.

‘Last year over 4,000 employees suffered major injuries and 35 workers died after falling from height at work.’

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