Company fined over roof work safety

A CONSTRUCTION company has been told to pay almost £40,000 for putting its employees in danger when working at height.

GK Worden & Son Limited, which is registered in Callington, was taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive for putting two of its employees at risk of injury.

The business pleaded guilty at Plymouth District Magistrates’ Court on November 1 to “failing to ensure that work at height was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner which exposed two of its workers to the risk of a fall from height liable to cause them injury”.

The £24,000 fine, £14,000 costs and £181 victim surcharge the company has to pay relate to an incident at Bradfords Building Supplies in Moorswater Industrial Estate in Liskeard on July 22, 2019.

An HSE spokesperson said GK Worden & Son had two of their employees or contractors working on fragile roof lights in the building when a proper risk assessment would have shown there was no need for the workers to be put at risk of injury by working from height.

The spokesperson said: “This case highlights the importance of avoiding the need to work on or near fragile surfaces (such as fragile roof lights) at the planning stages.

“A suitable and sufficient risk assessment and safe system of work would have ensured workers did not need to access the roof, or at least provided them with suitable work equipment to do so safely.”