A conservatory roof manufacturer has been fined after a worker fell from the roof of a property in Merseyside.

Phil Coppell Ltd of Cemetery Road, Radcliffe, Greater Manchester pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and breaches of Regulation 3(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, and Regulation 4(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It was fined £40,280 with over £1,464 in costs.

Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court heard how two workers had been carrying out repair works to the roof of a conservatory in Newton Le Willows in June 2015.


While working alone on the roof, a 59-year-old worker lost his footing and fell around 2.5 metres to the patio area below. His injuries included a fractured skull, a bleed to the brain and a shattered eye socket.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found Phil Coppell Ltd had failed to report a previous incident in 2013 when the same employee fell off a roof and lost consciousness, and another employee suffered multiple broken ribs in a fall through a skylight.

In addition, there were no preventative measures in place to prevent the risk of a fall from height. An Improvement Notice was served by HSE during the investigation and the company subsequently developed a barrier for use as edge protection.

HSE inspector Christine McGlynn said: "This incident could have been avoided if the company had learnt lessons from two previous similar incidents in 2013.

"Employees of this company were exposed to the risks of falls over a prolonged period of time. Generally work of this nature is at the rear of premises and is not visible or easy to monitor, however this prosecution should highlight, in particular to other companies who carry out work on conservatory roofs, that they should have in place control measures to prevent the risk of falls."

(LM/CD)