A company has been fined £120,000 after a dad died following a fall from the roof of a building site.

Father-of-one Dennis Vincent, 36, and another worker were using ropes to install a lightning protection system to the front of a Warrington office block being converted into flats.

Mr Vincent, who was from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was lowering the access equipment from the roof, using a rope attached to a frame at roof level and a handrail at ground level. As he did so, both he and the frame fell from the roof to the ground.

The incident happened on 24 February 2021 at Palmyra House, Palmyra Square in Warrington.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mr Vincent’s employer, PTSG Electrical Services Limited, failed to adequately assess the risks associated with this work, giving little consideration to the work at height hierarchy of control and opting for personal protection measures over more suitable collective protection measures, such as scaffolding or a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP).

In addition to this, the company had not planned for getting the rope access equipment on to and off the roof safely, providing no instructions to the operatives.

HSE guidance on roof work can be found at: Construction – Roof work industry health & safety (hse.gov.uk)

PTSG Electrical Services Limited, of Flemming Court, Whistler Drive, Castleford, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay £5448.51 in costs at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on 9 February 2023.

HSE inspector Sara Andrews said: “Our thoughts today are with the family of Dennis Vincent, a young dad and husband who did not return home on 24 February 2021 because of the failings of his employer.

“This incident could easily have been avoided by better planning of the work to ensure adequate controls were in place to prevent falls from the roof. Whilst rope access techniques are appropriate in some circumstances, they should only be used if more appropriate measures, such as fixed scaffolding, cannot be.

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

A further two companies will appear at Liverpool Crown Court later this year in relation to the incident, after pleading not guilty at an earlier hearing.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
4. Further information about roof work can be found at:
   Construction – Roof work industry health & safety (hse.gov.uk)

A company has been fined £20,000 for a catalogue of health and safety failings at a building site in Alderley Edge.

Work was taking place to convert an old bank into offices on London Road in the Cheshire village.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspected the site on 9 October 2020. HSE found many health and safety failings, including several areas where workers could have fallen from height, a risk of exposure to hazardous substances, and inadequate welfare facilities.

The company doing the work, Daniel Taylor Builder and Architectural Woodworker Limited, was served with three Prohibition Notices prohibiting unsafe activities and five Improvement Notices requiring the company to take remedial action to comply with the law.

An HSE investigation then found the firm had previously been the subject of enforcement action relating to unsafe work at height at both its construction sites and joinery workshop. The investigation also found company director, David Taylor, was acting as site manager at the London Road site and had failed to ensure the necessary health and safety measures were implemented to protect employees and others, despite the previous HSE interventions.

HSE guidance covering working at height can be found at: Work at height – HSE

Daniel Taylor Builder and Architectural Woodworker Limited, of Wheelwrights Yard, Congleton, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £20,000 following its early guilty plea, and ordered to pay £1,507.71 in costs at South Cheshire Magistrates’ Court on 8 February 2023.

David William Taylor, of New Road, Congleton, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Mr Taylor, 77, was fined £10 by the district judge taking into account totality of sentencing this defendant as a director of the company, his early guilty plea, positive references and his cooperation HSE enforcement action. He was ordered to pay £1,507.71 in costs at South Cheshire Magistrates’ Court on 8 February 2023.

HSE inspector Sinead Martin said: “This type of proactive prosecution will highlight to the construction industry that HSE will not hesitate to prosecute companies for repeated breaches of the law.

“Good management of health and safety on site is crucial to the successful delivery of a construction project and principal contractors have an important role in managing the risks of construction work and ensuring that safety measures are implemented.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.

A plumber has been jailed for 16 months after carrying out illegal gas work that cost an elderly woman over £1000.

Christopher Roland Shaw, also known as Chris Parker and trading as SOS Express Plumbing, attended the woman’s home on Newport Road, Headingley, Leeds, between 9 and 15 October 2015, where he was hired to carry out gas work. Mr Shaw had been assisting the woman with general plumbing needs for a number of years and told her he fitted the water heater in her bathroom.

As a result of this, the woman believed Mr Shaw was able to work on gas appliances. At the request of the woman, who was 77 at the time, Mr Shaw then removed an existing gas boiler and installed a new combination boiler at a total cost of £1157.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mr Shaw was not registered with the Gas Safety Register (GSR), a legal requirement whilst carrying out gas work. Mr Shaw’s work at the woman’s home was subsequently investigated by GSR, which identified several issues. Some of these issues were deemed as ‘at risk,’ meaning they could be a danger to life or the property in the future.

Mr Shaw had previously been prohibited from carrying out gas work by HSE and had subsequently been investigated and prosecuted for similar illegal gas work, resulting in a custodial sentence in 2014.

Christopher Roland Shaw, of Stonegate Farm Close, Leeds, Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Section 33(1)(g) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulations 3(1) and 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Mr Shaw was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Leeds Crown Court on 9 February 2023.

HSE inspector Darian Dundas said: “Whilst checks could have been made with Gas Safe Register to identify whether Mr Shaw was registered and competent to carry out the gas works prior to any work being undertaken, Mr Shaw knew that he was not allowed to do this work.

“The carrying out of illegal gas works will not be tolerated and will be investigated fully with offenders being brought to justice.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releasesare available.
4. Please see the link below to the page on HSE’s website that is the best guide to doing it the right way: Gas safety (hse.gov.uk)

The immense contribution made by women experts in science and technology to the work of Great Britain’s workplace regulator is being recognised.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is highlighting the impact of its female staff on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The event, which was started by the United Nations, is in its eighth year and is aimed at recognising the work of women in science and to encourage young girls to see science as an industry they could enter.

HSE employs women in a range of scientific disciplines who make a vital contribution to keeping people safe at work.

They include work psychologist Zoe Gould who joined HSE in 2017 as an apprentice. She now has a degree in Criminology and Psychological Studies and is working towards an MSc in Psychology.

Zoe works out of HSE’s base in Science and Research Centre in Buxton and is part of the Human Factors Team. She is involved in a variety of projects including workplace safety culture and behaviour change.

Zoe, who lives in Buxton with her husband and three cats, said: “Being a woman in science, and in a position of positive influence in the world of human factors and psychology, is incredibly important.

“There are still areas of industry that have a long way to go in creating equal working environments and I am proud to have the opportunity to contribute towards these changes through my work.”

Susy Brescia, who was born in Italy, has a PhD in Occupational Toxicology and Epidemiology and is an expert on the effects of chemicals on hormone systems. She has been at HSE for 24 years and lives in West Lancashire.

She is the head of HSE’s Toxicology Team. She works with academia, industry and other government departments to develop guidance and standards for risk assessments.

Susy, a mother-of-two, said: “I have always been fascinated by our understanding of the world and the blocks of life. I feel privileged to work in an area where I can continue to ask some very fundamental questions.

“I am proud of working for HSE and to apply my scientific skills for the benefits of society overall.”

Samantha Hall is a physicist working in HSE’s Exposure Assessment and Control Team and was recently awarded Chartered Physicist status by the Institute of Physics.

Sam lives in Stoke-on-Trent with her three-year-old rescue dog Holly and was a physics teacher before joining HSE in 2014.

Also based in Buxton at HSE’s Science and Research Centre, she has recently worked on HSE’s response to COVID-19 exposures relating to the suitability of personal protective equipment (PPE).  She also plays an active role in encouraging young people into science as a career through the STEM Ambassadors network.

In celebrating the day Sam added: “I love being a scientist because finding answers to important new questions is a great challenge and extremely rewarding. Every day is different, I’m always learning, and I get to have a lot of fun doing it.

“Society has finally realised that diverse teams are stronger so it’s important to have female representation in science. We should continue to highlight the great work that women in science do to inspire the brilliant female scientists of the future.”

If you want to read more about the work of the women we’ve featured here as well as our other women scientists, and understand how our science and evidence is having a positive impact on protecting people and places, see our latest Annual Science Review 2022.

If you are interested in working for HSE, visit out latest vacancies pages.

 Notes to editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.

Two companies have been fined more than £380k after a worker fell through the roof of a retail unit in Milton Keynes.

The roofer, who was 32 at the time, fell more than 20 feet through a roof light on to a suspended ceiling at Unit 103, Watling Street, on 19 July 2019. The man landed on the floor below and broke his ankle.

Brackley Industrial Maintenance Ltd, a specialist roofing contractor, had been contracted by principal contractor STP Construction Ltd to carry out roofing works. This work was part of a wider construction project at a retail unit used by Matalan and Carpet Right in Bletchley. The roofer was required to work on the roof of the building and carry out work on roof lights.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there was ineffective planning of access arrangements to and on the roof by STP Construction Ltd,  resulting in workers having to pass fragile materials before they could make use of the fall arrest system installed there. The investigation also highlighted that Brackley Industrial Maintenance Ltd failed to ensure the provision and use of physical means to either prevent or arrest falls.

STP Construction Ltd, of Woodside Walk, Whinfield Industrial Estate, Rowlands Gill, Tyne And Wear, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 13(1) of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £320,000 and ordered to pay £8,538 in costs at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 10 February 2023.

Brackley Industrial Maintenance Ltd, of Avon Dassett, Southam, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 9 (2) of the Work at Height Regulations. The company was fined £68,000 and also ordered to pay £8,538 in costs at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 10 February 2023.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Jenny Morris said: “This incident could have easily been avoided. Assessing and planning work at height is essential to ensuring that suitable and sufficient measures are in place to prevent falls from height.

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

Advice on working from height including key messages about doing it the right way is available.

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.