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Three Essex firms have been fined following the accident of a man working as a roofer. The forty six year old man reportedly fell five metres and sustained terrible injuries to his head, back and chest. He had to be airlifted to hospital, where he then spent three weeks in intensive care. He is now confined to a wheelchair.
Health and Safety Executive inspectors found that the three construction companies involved had failed to take the appropriate action to protect its workers. They found that the failure to fit safety rails as edge protection on the scaffolding had allowed this accident to happen.
While health and safety measures are sometimes accused of going too far, cases such as this one clearly demonstrate the importance of risk assessments and of following health and safety regulations.
While there was no loss of life in this case, the roofer’s life has been changed irrevocably despite the fact that a simple measure could have protected him. Industry specific health and safety training is essential if dangers are to be recognised and terrible accidents avoided.