A scaffolder has been fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of over £1,000 after carrying out work at an unsafe height.

Michael Alldis, trading as Southern Tube Scaffold, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a complaint from a member of the public.

The HSE visited the site in Winchester where Michael Alldis was contracted to provide a four lift scaffold and temporary roof for on-going refurbishment work to a property.

The investigation discovered the site had no guardrails, harnesses or any other fall mitigation equipment to protect workers on the roof from falling.

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Items on the roof were also being removed in an unsafe manner which could of potentially posed a risk to members of the public.

Michael Aldis pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4(1)(a) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

HSE Inspector Adam Wycherley said: "Although Mr Alldis was an experienced Scaffolder, in this instance the standards of safety that he endorsed on site fell well below those expected during the dismantling of a scaffold.

"Falls from height remain the most common form of workplace fatality – there is no excuse for not planning work at height properly or ensuring the appropriate safety equipment is used, the Scaffolding industry are well aware of the risks involved and the methods which should be put in place to manage these risks."

(LM)