A West London roofing firm has been fined £10,000 after it allowed employees to work on roofs with no safety measures to protect them.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted HR Roofing at Westminster Magistrates' Court after seeing the dangerous practices in operation at two sites, one in Harrow, the other in Ealing.

Magistrates were told that an inspector from HSE came across the first instance in March 2013 and identified workers re-roofing a property in Glebe Avenue, Harrow. There was no scaffold or any of the standard safety measures in place to protect the workers.

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HSE took immediate action against HR Roofing by serving a prohibition notice halting the work at height until fall prevention safeguards were installed.

However, two months later in May, the same dangers were spotted by HSE when the firm was at a property in Bilton Road, Perivale, Ealing. Another prohibition notice was served and an investigation started by HSE. In both cases, HSE considered there was an extreme risk gap with measures taken far below what was required by law.

HR Roofing Ltd was also ordered to pay £1,654 in costs after admitting two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations.

(CD/MH)