£7k fine for roofing firm after worker’s fall
A North Wales roofing company has been prosecuted after a roofer fell from a low roof and suffered life changing injuries.
Thirty seven year old Chris Jones from Colwyn Bay, was employed by NRS Specialist Services (North Wales) Ltd to work on re-covering the roof of a single story outhouse in Maes y Llan, Dwygyfylchi, on 11 December 2013 when he fell nearly 2.5 metres to the ground.
Jones broke his hip and his left leg in six places and has not been able to return to work.
NRS Specialist Services (N. Wales) Ltd, of Warren Road, Deganwy, pleaded guilty at Llandudno Magistrates Court to a breach of Section 2 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £7,500 and ordered to pay £5725.22 in costs.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Chris Wilson said: "Chris Jones suffered major, life-changing injuries and there was a real possibility that the fall could have proved fatal.
"Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and it's crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and that sufficient measures such as edge protection are put in place to control the risks of harm from falls.
"Contractors must ensure that for even relatively small-scale jobs where there is a risk of a fall from height that adequate safeguards are in place. In this case this could have readily been achieved by the use of temporary scaffold edge protection around the perimeter of the roof."
NRS is no longer operating.
