The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has fined a scaffolding company after a worker fell 10 metres through a roof.

In November 2008, the employee was working for Mark Wilson, trading as MWS Scaffolding Services. He was under the direct supervision of Mr Wilson and was attempting to fix scaffolding at Mothercare World in Edmonton, north London when he fell. MWS Scaffolding Services had been contracted to provide scaffolding at the site to allow a roofing contractor to gain access to repair leaking roof lights.

The employee fell through an unprotected and fragile roof light, landing in the open store more than 10 metres below. He sustained a broken leg and cuts and was off work recovering for more than three months.

On Friday (20/11/09) at City of London Magistrates’ Court, Mark Wilson, trading as MWS Scaffolding Services and based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Mr Wilson was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,566.80.

After the hearing, HSE Construction Inspector, Dominic Elliss, said:

‘Mr Wilson’s failure to properly assess these works and then ensure that suitable and sufficient health and safety measures were in place resulted in the serious injury of one of his employees.

‘The risks and precautions for work near to fragile material are well known, with 15 deaths at work in 2005-06 resulting from similar falls.

‘A failure to adequately assess the risks in this case meant that simple measures – such as the provision of sufficient boarding and clear and robust instruction and supervision of his employees – were not undertaken.’

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