Private Dental provider has been handed penalties totalling £90,000 after one it its receptionists fell through the rooflight.
A female employee was spending her lunch break with a colleague on the flat roof of a single-storey extension at the Firvale Dental Practice, operated by Integrated Dental Holdings.
She sat on the domed plastic rooflight, which collapsed, dropping her three metres to the floor inside, leaving her with injuries to her back, shoulder, knee and neck. Sheffield Crown Court heard that at least five other workers had used the roof, and were at risk of falling from the roof edge or through the rooflights. They could easily reach the extension’s flat roof via a door on the first floor of the main building as the key was hung on a wall and was fully accessible.
Bolton-based Integrated Dental Holdings, which has more than 250 practices in the UK, was found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £18,500 with £71,632.79 costs.
“While many falls take place in manufacturing and construction, the risks can be present in the most unlikely work environments,” said an HSE Inspector and employers should assess the risks and then take the steps necessary to implement the controls needed to safeguard their employees.
