News item: Construction Company Fined after Employee Sustains Life Changing Injuries in Roof Fall

A construction company based in Chesterfield has been fined after a subcontractor hired to complete work on a roof fell from the roof joists to the concrete floor below, sustaining life changing injuries.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard that Bobby Oldham Construction Limited (BOCL) were contracted to complete work on a domestic extension at Mona Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. The work was to complete an extension to the rear of the property, which contained a skylight and wooden joists.  Work had progressed to the point where roof joists were being attached. The joists were accessed using a ladder, which then led to an unprotected trestle platform. The subcontractor was sitting astride one of the joists when it gave way causing him to fall. He landed on the concrete floor below sustaining serious injuries including brain trauma and a broken neck.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that had the company properly considered the risks associated with this type of work, and planned the work at height more carefully the incident could have been easily avoided. The trestle platforms were missing suitable edge protection, and there was an absence of other suitable fall mitigation measures such as airbags. The work was not supervised, which would have identified the unsafe working methods, which could then be challenged by the company.

Bobby Oldham Construction Limited (BOCL) of Market Street, Staveley, Chesterfield, Derbyshire pleaded guilty of breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. They were fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,515.