A sole trader from Aberdeen in Scotland who erects farm buildings has been prosecuted after one of his employees fell from a roof.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident – which took place on 20 November, 2008 – involving an employee who was fixing a roof sheet onto the roof of a new potato store at Little Hilton Farm, near Turriff in Aberdeenshire.

The man slipped and fell three metres from the edge of the roof and landed on an adjacent roof below, breaking his leg in two places.

HSE inspectors found there were no safety measures in place, including no guard-rails to prevent falls from that part of the roof. The work at height procedure had also not been properly planned and controlled by Mr Mackie.

On Wednesday (21/04/10) at Banff Sheriff Court, 36-year-old Robert Peter Mackie from the Turriff area – trading as RDM Engineering at the time of the accident – pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Mr Mackie was fined £15,000.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Liz Standen said:

‘I find it very frustrating that people continue to be needlessly injured and killed because of a lack of basic planning and simple precautions. 

‘All employers carrying out work at height must ensure that the risks are fully assessed, the job is thoroughly planned and that suitable equipment is used,’ she added.

‘There is no excuse for leaving roofs under construction unguarded against falls.

‘HSE statistics show that, during 2008/09 10 people died and 1,423 were injured in Scotland while working in construction. 

‘These incidents are nearly always preventable when using the right equipment for the job.’

More information on how to prevent slips, trips and falls at work is available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives/

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