Following the tragic death of a roof worker, Hamilton Sheriff Court has imposed a £40,000 fine on scaffolding business based in Glasgow, Lanarkshire.
The fine followed the firm - Extra Access Limited - pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
In September 2011, the victim, James Baillie, who was 53 at the time, fell approximately six metres through a scaffold tower deck, while carrying out roofing repairs on a two storey domestic property.
The court was told that the scaffolding, which broke whilst Mr Ballie was walked on it, was in a poor state of repair with brown rot and decay.
As a result of the injuries sustained in the fall, Mr Baillie tragically passed away the next day.
Commenting on the matter, Graeme McMinn, who is a HSE Inspector, stated:
"The company failed to provide safe and suitable working equipment for their customer and his workers.
"There is no excuse for allowing the use at work of mobile access tower components that were in such a poor condition, the scaffolding industry is well aware of the risks involved in this type of work.
"Mr Baillie's tragic death could have been avoided if Extra Access Limited had ensured the scaffold tower deck was properly inspected and maintained or otherwise taken out of service."
The Health & Safety Executive has very helpfully made more information on working from a height available at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/index.htm
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