Suffolk roofing firm health and safety issues on film
A roofing firm based in Suffolk was brought to court and prosecuted for safety failings on a job. The firm was caught on camera clearly ignoring health and safety practises and duty of care. In fact, a worker was on the roof ridge balancing while using a power tool. He could have fallen, cut himself, or otherwise injured himself with the blatant health and safety failings. He was using a disc cutter to get through the tile roof. He was not tied off and another employee was also on the roof.
The owner of the firm that was using the tool has been prosecuted for failing to ensure he and his employees had proper work at height measures in place. Scaffolding, ropes to tie off with, and other safety measures should have been in place. Yet, last summer the firm allowed these unsafe working conditions and worse they were caught by a camera while working. According to the HSE, a roof ladder should have been used at minimum so that he could have been safe while using a power tool. The incident has led to a £1,300 fine along with £3,000 in other costs. Working from heights requires a company to have a duty of care methodology. Even an owner of a company needs to follow proper procedures. It is not just providing a safe environment for workers, but for everyone who is going to be working from heights such as working on a roof.
