Risk, Health and Safety Information

Roofer more concerned about beating the rain than safety

A roofer has admitted putting workers and members of the public at risk, after being spotted working on a roof without any fall protection by a passing HSE inspector.

Burnley Magistrates’ Court heard that Ross Singleton, who trades as Ross’s Roofing, and two other workers were carrying out roof repairs at a hairdressers in Colne, Lancashire, on 24 May 2011.

HSE inspector Jacqueline Western was passing the salon and noticed that there were no safety measures in place to prevent the workers from falling. Singleton had also failed to take precautions to stop debris from dropping on to the busy pedestrian footpath below.

Inspector Western took pictures of the men working and then ordered the work to stop immediately. She issued a Prohibition Notice to Singleton, which required the work to stop until edge protection was installed.

When she returned to the site later in the day, she found that Singleton had ignored the enforcement notice by continuing with the repairs without properly addressing the unsafe method of work.

Singleton appeared in court on 12 January and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and s33(1)(g) of the HSWA 1974, for ignoring an enforcement notice. He was fined £350 and ordered to pay £300 in costs.

In mitigation Singleton said he hadn’t considered the roof to be high enough to need edge protection. He explained that following the issue of the Prohibition Notice he erected a tower scaffold to finish the work, which he accepts did not have edge protection. He told the court that his priority on the day was to finish the work before heavy rain began.

Speaking after the hearing, inspector Western said: “Ross Singleton and the two other men were working nearly three metres above the ground – a height that could have resulted in a serious injury if any of them had fallen.

“He should have treated the Prohibition Notice as a formal warning and stopped work until safety measures, such as guard rails, were in place. Instead, he ignored the notice and has found himself in court as a result.

“Dozens of people die every year as a result of a fall while at work. Roofers should treat the risks seriously and take action to make sure workers stay safe.”

The Lancashire Telegraph also reported on the case, and its story received a number of comments from readers who criticised the prosecution. Some labelled health and safety as “a joke”, saying it prevents people from making “an honest living”.

Singleton himself posted a comment, which said: “I hired the scaffold straight away but it started to rain as soon as were erecting it, which meant I had to go back on the roof to sheet-up to prevent the roof being rain-damaged.

“If I had got a professional to install the scaffolding it would have cost £400-£500. The owner of the hairdressers would not have been happy to cover this charge as well as the roof repairs.

Echoing the sentiments of other commentators, he concluded: “I’m an honest young man trying to make an honest living, rather than most my age, who clearly get every penny they can from the government in benefits.”