Roof fall leaves young worker in wheelchair

Richard Cooke, who was 26 at the time of the incident, was dismantling the roof of a cow shed at Manor Farm, Corston near Bath, on 7 July 2008.

Self-employed Mr Cooke, from Cleeve, near Bristol, was subcontracting for Martock-based Clive Pearce - trading as CW Pearce - which was subcontracted to DB Gibbons (Construction) Ltd of Bristol.

Mr Cooke suffered severe spine and head injuries when he landed on a concrete floor after the roof sheeting he was standing on collapsed under his weight.

Bath and Wansdyke Magistrates Court heard yesterday that Mr Cooke is now an incomplete paraplegic and requires the use of a wheelchair to move about.

The subsequent Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found there were no safeguards in place to prevent Mr Cooke or his fellow worker falling through the roof, or from the edge of the building.

HSE's investigation also revealed the work could have been arranged without the need to go on the roof.

Clive Pearce t/a CW Pearce of Steppes Crescent, Martock pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Pearce was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £500 costs.

DB Gibbons (Construction) Ltd of Western Lane, West Harptree, Bristol pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £14,000 with £3,500 costs at the same hearing.

HSE inspector Annette Walker said: "Mr Cooke is a young man who has suffered dreadful injuries as a result of this incident which could have resulted in his death. He and his family are still coming to terms with the lasting effects of what has happened yet this situation could so easily have been prevented.

"Falls from height are one of the major causes of death and serious injury in the construction industry. The risks of working on or near fragile roofs are well known and the safety measures well established, but HSE continues to see tragic cases such as this where work is not suitably coordinated and planned to reduce risks.

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