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The company was issued a prohibition notice after three workers were spotted replacing tiles on a sloping roof with no fall protection. They were working up to 10m off the ground, near an unprotected gable end of a three-storey building at Thornhill Court in Cardiff on 5 August 2010.
Cardiff magistrates heard that a visiting HSE inspector issued the notice ordering work to stop immediately until safety barriers were put in place on the roof.
HSE told the court that CFR Flat Roofing had already received a prohibition notice for breaching the Work at Height regulations earlier in the year, and had been made aware of its duties under regulations.
However, on the return visit HSE found the firm had again failed to ensure work at height was carried out safely with suitable equipment, and no precautions were in place to prevent any of their three employees from falling off the roof.
Martin Nealon, trading as CFR Flat Roofing, of Vale Business Park, Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He was fined £5,985 and ordered to pay costs of £1,800.
HSE inspector Simon Breen said: "Falls from height are the single biggest cause of fatalities in the construction industry. CFR Flat Roofing had no excuse in this instance - they knew how to ensure the safety of their workers but decided to not to. If work is carried out at height then all appropriate measures should be put in place to reduce the risk of falling. Common sense and practical solutions exist to prevent fatalities.”
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