Maciej Rozanski, who was 42, had been working to remove a redundant steel cleaning machine from the company’s Sovereign Works site on Deepdale Lane, Dudley, on 29th June 2018. However, during the work, Rozanski stepped onto a fragile roof and fell more than 20 feet to the floor below. He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited, which is now in liquidation, was found guilty following a trial last week. Operations manager Robert Hammond had already entered a guilty plea, but disputed he was responsible for health and safety at the site.
The prosecution was brought following an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) that found that the company began the work to remove the machinery in December 2017 and that project was led by Robert Hammond. The steel cleaning machine was housed in a corrugated steel tower on the side of the main production building which required partial dismantling in order to remove the machine. On the day of the incident, Rozanski and another employee were tasked with the dismantling works. Once at the top of the tower they used an angle grinder to remove bolts holding the corrugated steel plates in place. It was during this activity that Rozanski fell to his death.
There was no suitable risk assessment made for the work at height activities. The work to remove corrugated steel sheets from the disused tower was carried out at height, near to a fragile roof surface without suitable access equipment or safe working practices. The work was not properly organised, planned, appropriately supervised or carried out in a safe manner and the employees were not trained for working at height when the incident occurred.
Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited formerly of Deepdale Lane, Dudley was found guilty by a jury of a breach of Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 . It was fined £90,000 and ordered to pay costs of £28,956 at a hearing at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on 21st March 2025.
Robert Hammond of Sutton Coldfield accepted that he did not take reasonable care for the health and safety of both employees when he pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was fined £8,500 and ordered to pay the same amount in costs.
HSE inspector Sarah Smewin said after the hearing: “Working from height remains a leading cause of workplace death and injury. This case highlights the risks of working at height from or near to fragile roof surfaces and the importance of a risk assessment, proper planning, training and supervision of work at height and the use of suitable access equipment to ensure that the work can be carried out safely.
“It also demonstrates that placing a company into liquidation is no bar to prosecution.”
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