A builder from Plymouth has been fined £10,000 after a worker fell almost six metres through a fragile roof light.
24-year-old Przemyslaw Borkiewicz, also from Plymouth, was working at a garage in Saltash when the incident occurred in December 2012. Plymouth Magistrates court heard that he had little supervision and was given no safety equipment, which could have prevented the fall or lessened the impact of it.
Jim Woodley, a partner in building and roofing firm Direct Property Services was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after they launched an investigation into the incident. Mr Woodley was the person in control of the work at the time.
The court heard how Mr Borkiewicz was walking across the roof to pass a bucket to his colleague when he stepped onto one of the Perspex roof lights in the roof and fell through. HSE found that both Mr Borkiewicz and two of his colleagues had been put at risk of a fall through the roof lights. Further, it found that the work was being supervised by a person with no qualifications relating to roofing or working at height and that there had been no measures taken to carry out the task safely.
Mr Woodley pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height regulations and was fined £10,000 alongside £5,517 in costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Helena Allum said: “Mr Borkiewicz suffered severe multiple injuries, including head injuries and experienced great pain but was lucky not to have lost his life in this incident.
“Falls from height are the biggest cause of workplace deaths and it’s crucial that employers make sure work is properly planned, appropriately supervised and that sufficient measures are put in place to protect staff from the risks.
“There is no excuse for employers failing to safeguard workers who have to work at height.”