Logistics Company Fined for Putting Roofers at Risk of Serious Falls

A LOGISTICS COMPANY has been fined after failing to provide fall protection for workers replacing a fragile roof at its premises.

Blackpool Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 29 May 2019, Health and Safety Executive inspectors visited a warehouse in Blackburn and saw two workers on the roof without any physical protection or any equipment to prevent or minimise the distance of a fall.

HSE Investigators then found that the roof of the warehouse was fragile and people were at risk of coming through it.

The company, Speed Drop Logistics Ltd, had no measures in place to prevent workers falling from or through the roof, which could have resulted in injury or even death.

Working at height requirements

Regulations say that the removal of tiles should have been carried out from underneath the roof using a scissor lift or a cherry picker. Scaffold should have been in place to create a barrier against and to minimise the distance of a possible fall.

Speed Drop Logistics Ltd of Manner Sutton Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1570.60.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Stuart Hadfield, said, “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standard.”