Health and safety intervention means that the law is cracking down on unsafe operators using substandard equipment that can endanger workers and the general public.

The Health and Safety Executive demonstrated it has a no tolerance policy in the recent prosecution of E2 Developments Ltd, Burton-on-Trent.

In the case workers operating on a roof on a new warehouse build in Tutbury were concerned as to the inadequate safety measures incorporated into the scaffolding that was being used. Following attempts to raise awareness of a potential danger, supervisors showed gross negligence by continuing without properly assessing the risk to workers. As a result one employee, Mr. Lonergan 36 of Burton-on-Trent was involved in a fall that resulted in his unfortunate and avoidable death. 

Following the negligence trial,HSE inspector Lindsay Hope explained that:

“Each defendant failed to ensure Mr Lonergan and other roofers could work safely. In each case their failure was a significant cause of Mr Lonergan’s death.

“E2 was provided with architects’ plans showing the roof was at a 20-degree pitch but failed to plan, manage or monitor the work in order to eliminate the risk of a fall. One of the directors had never heard of the regulations the company should have been working to. It was therefore very difficult for the company to discharge its duties under those Regulations if directors were ignorant of them.

“Peter Allum was aware of the obvious risk of harm posed by the inadequate rails, but did nothing about it. As an experienced roofer he could, and should, have tackled the issue.”

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 14(1), 14(2) and 22 of the Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2007 and was fined a total of £66,000 with costs of £13,200.

Bideford based scaffold Solutions Company Lofts and Ladders continually respond to industry news and announcements by the Health and Safety Executive relevant to their business. A spokesperson for the company believes that education is key and until this is recognised industry wide death and serious injury will continue to dominate our newspaper headlines.

“Health and Safety has always been at the forefront of our minds since we started. Accidents and death by the improper use of equipment and poor education have continued to hit the headlines and is a concern for us all”

They continued by saying “We offer various solutions and the correct advice on how to ensure your workers remain safe at heights, whilst working to raise awareness within the workforce and advising how to lower accident figures or prevent them from occurring full stop.”

Lofts and Ladders are a well-known industry leader in both domestic and industrial use ladder. They offer the best loft ladders, step ladders and roof ladders on the market. To view their full range of ladder solutions visit their website at http://loftsandladders.co.uk today.