A company has been fined after a worker fell during work to repair the roof of a barn.

Allen and Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd of Thorpe, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to Sections 4(1), 7 and 9 (2) of the Working at Height regulations. It was fined a total of £267,000 with £7,750 in costs and a victim surcharge of £120.

Derby Magistrates Court heard how a worker with the engineering firm was working as part of a pair to replace roofing panels on the barn on 30 July 2014.

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The employee was using two homemade crawling boards to carry out the work. However, the worker fell six metres to the floor below and sustained serious injuries to his head, hip, and lungs.

One of the mans colleagues was working under the roof in a 'man basket' that was attached to a telehandler. He climbed down to the boom of the machine to help the victim.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found there were not sufficient platforms or coverings for the roof to protect workers from the fall. The risk assessment and method statement, which would have told the workers how to run the work, was in the office but also not specific to the job.

In addition, there was also no separate controls for the man basket, leaving the worker stranded when his colleague fell.

(LM/MH)