A roofing company boss has been sentenced to jail after one of his builders fell 30ft to his death whilst working on a £7 million home in Kensington.
The owner of G&L Scaffolding and Roofing, Kevin Leathers, 41, had “flagrantly ignored” safety warnings when father-of-five Jon Currie, 36, was not wearing a harness when he fell, leading to “catastrophic brain damage” and ultimately his death in July 2017.
The experienced scaffolder lost his footing while taking down a temporary roof of corrugated iron panels. Leather pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and was eventually jailed for eight months, having been previously warned about his employees working in dangerous conditions.
Prosecutors stated that Leathers had been sent a letter reminding him of strict health and safety requirements and that his working practices were “unsafe” when his crew were spotted working without safety harnesses. When Mr Currie fell, he and another worker were again not wearing safety harnesses and no risk assessment had been carried out to identify potential dangers. Curries was also not qualified for the job that he was doing that day. Prosecutor stated that Leathers “failed to exercise his duty of care and as a result, Jon Currie died while working for him. Leathers intentionally breached or flagrantly ignored the law.”
Passing sentence, Judge Joanna QC said “after the letter in April, Leather could not have been warned in clearer terms about the dangers of the activities undertaken. He failed to take appropriate steps. If death results from such failures you must expect to receive an immediate prisons sentence.”
Leather was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence after Curries fell working on an extension to a double-storey basement.
This is another example of the extreme dangers faced when work is carried without the required equipment. Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we provide quality, effective height safety equipment including harnesses, lanyard and fall arrest blocks that assure your safety when working at all heights. You can browse our range below!
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For more information on our height safety equipment or to speak to one of our experts about any of our products, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today by calling 0117 9381 600 or emailing sales@safetyliftingear.com.
If you don't provide your employees with the equipment they need, it can pose a serious safety risk to them, and a serious legal threat to your business. AU Roofing and Building Ltd found this out the hard way after one of their employees sustained serious injuries. We've got the inside scoop on the story for you here.
Back in October 2018, a team of employees from AU Roofing and Building Ltd were working on a roof in Elmes Avenue, Kent. The team of roofers were required to carry buckets of materials by hand down the scaffold access ladder to the street level below.
One particular employee, Davey Battams, struggled to keep 3 points of contact with the ladder as he descended down the ladder, and fell the remainder of the way onto the pavement. Battams suffered serious back injuries and was unable to continue working.
The HSE investigated this accident and was able to determine that the employer hadn't provided the basic lifting equipment aids that should be in place for tasks such as this. A simple wheel and pulley would have given workers a safer way to lower the broken tiles while dramatically reducing the chances of an accidental fall.
In court, AU Roofing and Building Services Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 and the court issued them a fine of £28,800!! On top of this, they were also ordered to pay legal cost amounting to £4,213.70.
At SafetyLiftinGear, we know that the right equipment could have prevented this accident from ever happening, and while we can't go back and change the past, we can advise you on how to work safely in the future. Here are just a few different pieces of equipment that AU Roofing and Building Ltd could've purchased to lessen the risk of a fall.
Our ladder fall protection kits are designed to keep you tethered to the ladder, preventing an accidental slip or fall from height.
Designed to take the pressure completely out of your hands, our powered scaffold hoist can move cumbersome items from on top of the scaffold to ground level safely.
These simple, manual pulley systems can take the strain of heavy items and lower them to safety, leaving your hands free to grip the ladder.
When you need to lift or transport important materials you'll find the following lifting solutions safe and easy to use.
If you can't find a lifting solution that fits the requirements of your upcoming job, don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Our friendly sales team will talk you through various different lifting options to help you find one that's right for the task at hand.
Both Metcalfe Roofing & Building Services Ltd and PDR Construction Ltd have been fined following an incident that saw a worker fall three metres through a mesh roof while working at height.
The incident in question took place on 21 July 2016 at a job in Coulby Newham, resulting in painful injuries to the fallen worker, notably including multiple back fractures.
While moving materials during a routine roof installation at a new KFC Drive Thru, the worker unwittingly stepped onto a fragile mesh roof that was not fit to withstand a substantial load.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive determined that the contractors, Metcalfe Roofing & Building Ltd, had failed to prevent access to the exposed area, ultimately resulting in the accident.
Further investigation by the HSE also discovered that Metcalfe Roofing had failed to plan and conduct the work in a safe and fitting manner.
Crucially, principle contractors, PDR Construction, were also found to have failed in their attempts to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase appropriately.
The accusation of negligence led PDR Construction to plead guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, resulting in a £225k fine with £8k costs.
Meanwhile, Metcalfe Roofing was saddled with a lesser £2k fine after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2015.
The incident once again highlights the importance of on-site worker safety, particularly when it comes to those working at height.
At SafetyLiftinGear.com, we supply a wide variety of precautionary height safety equipment that would have been ideal for this kind of job.
Had such precautions been taken, it’s highly unlikely that such an incident would have occurred. Keep your workforce safe by providing them with appropriate safety equipment from SLG.
For more advice on working at height and the appropriate safety measures you can take to avoid needless falls, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0117 9381 600 or click the button below to get in touch online.
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A water storage tank manufacturing firm was recently fined thousands of pounds for failing to prevent a fall that left an employee with multiple fractures of the head, ribs, fingers and shoulder blade.
SHP Online recently reported that Braithwaite Engineers Ltd had been fined £9,400 - plus costs of £1,680.75 - after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) noted that the fall, which occurred in October 2017, might have been prevented if the company had provided suitable and clear instructions and working at height training.
HSE Inspector Will Powell stated:
"Falls from vehicles can be overlooked by employers...[but] simple measures would have prevented this accident."
Working on a lorry bed can be dangerous if there's no barrier around the edges of the platform.
Here at SafetyLiftinGear, we sell lorry edge protection straps to help you minimise the risk to your employees while they're working on an elevated lorry bed.
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These high-visibility straps are easy to attach, and they reduce the likelihood that a worker will fall off the edge of the lorry and injure him/herself.
Our RJ200 hangman frame lorry / container access anchor is also ideal for improving worker safety on raised lorry beds.
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This frame can be used as a semi-permanent mobile anchor point for safety harnesses when working at height. It stands roughly 6.25 metres tall and allows for a working radius of 3 metres (approximately 9.84 feet).
Please call SafetyLiftinGear on 0117 9381 600 or contact us online if you'd like to discuss your height safety requirements. We're more than happy to recommend products, and we can even provide bespoke fall protection solutions for particularly demanding or unusual jobs.
According to statistics published by the Health & Safety Executive, approximately 26% of UK workplace fatalities in 2018 came as a result of falling from height.
That sobering statistic highlights just how dangerous working at height can be and, moreover, just how important it is to take the correct precautions before engaging in such activities.
If working at height is a big part of your job, keep yourself and others protected by being mindful of the risks involved.
Here’s a rundown of some of the most important things to consider when working at height.
Laws are implemented for a reason, so it’s important to take note of the relevant legislation. When it comes to working at height, this point is extremely important.
Make sure that you fully understand what applies to you and take the appropriate actions to adhere to these rulings at all times.
For workers, knowing and following these guidelines can help ensure that the working conditions are safe and risks are kept to a minimum.
Meanwhile, for employers, it can also help ensure all actions are done by the book, protecting the workers while also protecting the company from liability claims in the event of an accident.
Like any potentially dangerous situation, a comprehensive risk assessment is vital in preparing for the task at hand and can help highlight any areas of concern.
Conducting a thorough risk assessment can not only allow you to minimise the dangers but also potentially allow you to eliminate them altogether.
Should the risks be unavoidable, the identification of these dangers allows for preventative measures to be put in place, such as a fall arrest or fall restraint system.
It’s the employer’s responsibility to provide the worker with the relevant training for the task at hand. This point is included in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and is naturally extremely important to take into consideration.
Suitable training can prepare workers for the proposed job and allow them to carry them out safely. Only those that have the relevant level of experience and training should be authorised to carry out the corresponding task.
At SafetyLiftinGear.com, we offer a variety of relevant training courses for height workers, including the Working at Heights Training course and our Risk Assessment & Method Statement (RAMS) Training.
While every step should be taken to avoid a devastating accident, failure to prepare for the worst is not only foolish and short-sighted but also potentially very dangerous.
Be sure to formulate and implement an appropriate rescue plan to keep all parties covered in the event of an unfortunate mishap. This includes supplying the appropriate emergency rescue equipment.
Which leads us nicely to our next point…
In order to ensure you are completely protected in the event of a fall, it’s vital that the correct equipment is used at all times. Often referred to as PPE (Personal Protection Equipment), this is the last resort standing between you and the ground in the event of a worst-case scenario.
It’s important to remember that not all fall protection equipment is universal and some protection measures will be more appropriate for a specific job than others. For more information on the different kinds of safety restraints, check out our blog on overhead and horizontal safety lines.
In addition to supplying equipment for working at height, we also provide inspection and certification of such equipment. For advice and guidance on what equipment may be best for you, get in touch today to speak with one of your specialist advisors.
For more information on precautions for working at height and general safety measures for height work, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0117 9381 600 or get in touch online using the button below.
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Ronan Keating once said, “the touch of your hand says you’ll catch me wherever I fall”. The bright sparks at AirDeck took that line to heart and have since successfully applied it to the construction industry.
While we can’t promise the gentle hand touching of Mr Keating – nor would our legal department recommend such actions – we can promise the catching part, with the awesome power of the AirDeck Fall Arrest Landing Bag.
Available for purchase, the AirDeck landing bag is the inflatable safety deck the world has been waiting for. Quick deployment, simple transportation and easily compactible, the AirDeck is the perfect safety deck for anyone that works at height.
The bags rise to approximately 75cm in height once fully inflated and are capable of withstanding falls from as high 3.25 metres above floor level (over 10.5 feet).
Each AirDeck bag is made up of an inflatable inner lining and an outer polypropylene bag. Better still, the double-layered upper face is extremely hard-wearing and resistant against accidental damage, with durability a key feature.
One of the best things about AirDeck fall arrest bags is their portability. When deflated, up to 50 bags will fit on just one pallet, making them ideal for easy transportation and storage. Meanwhile, once they are completely inflated and ready for use, 50 bags will cover a surface area of up to 80 square metres.
When used in conjunction with the Makita 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower, inflation can be completed extremely quickly, with a single bag fully inflated in less than 40 seconds. In times of emergency, inflation speed can be of critical importance, making the AirDeck’s rapid expansion an invaluable feature.
While the AirDeck fall arrest is most commonly used in the UK construction industry, it’s not solely restricted to construction use. In fact, it’s not even restricted to the UK and has already been successfully used internationally as well as domestically, with customers as far wide as North America, Australia and the Far East.
In addition to its primary usage within construction environments, the AirDeck fall arrest system has also been used in a variety of unusual scenarios, including vessels at sea and by air force maintenance staff.
For outside the box usage of the AirDeck, look no further than the Los Angeles Country Sheriff’s Department. The local correctional facility is one of the world’s largest jail complexes, housing 3500 inmates with mental illnesses.
As a result of the large-scale environment and the mentally volatile inhabitants, suicide attempts aren’t uncommon. Thankfully, the AirDeck’s rapid deployment provides the perfect solution to these potentially fatal scenarios and has already proved successful on multiple occasions.
For more information on the AirDeck fall arrest system and its many uses, why not give us a call today on 0117 9381 600. Alternatively, feel free to drop us a line using the button below.
What is the leading cause of deaths in the workplace? Short Answer: falls from height count for more than a quarter of workplace fatalities in Great Britain, making falls the biggest cause of workplace deaths.
According to the latest statistics from the Health & Safety Executive, approximately 26% of fatal workplace injuries in Great Britain are the result of a fall from height. Between 2013 and 2018, more workers died from a fall than died from:
Falls from height also accounted for around 8% of non-lethal accidents in British workplaces during the same period.
The above statistics have prompted calls for more stringent safety laws, but it's worth noting that The Work at Height Regulations 2005 already require work at height to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner by competent personnel only.
Read More: What Height Safety Equipment is Legally Required?
Perhaps the real problem is that too many employers don't take the existing regulations seriously until an accident has already happened. If you and/or your employees work at potentially dangerous heights, you may require one or more of the following systems to keep them safe:
Here at SafetyLiftinGear.com, we specialise in high-quality height safety equipment that protects workers from potentially deadly falls. Contact us today to get a quote for your fall protection needs, or use the links below to browse our full range of height safety products.
Height Safety Equipment > Fall Protection Hire >
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
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