A construction worker has been sentenced after carrying out dangerous work at height during a hotel development project in Manchester.

David Mullholland, Victoria Road, Walton le Dale, Preston, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and was fined £1,400 with over £2,939 in costs.

Manchester Magistrates Court heard how Mr Mullholland was working for a steel erection firm on the development on 21 January 2015.

A member of the public contacted the Health and Safety Executive claiming that a man had been seen balancing on scaffold tubes in the rain while working on the roof of the multi-storey hotel.

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In a photograph provided to the organisation, Inspectors found Mr it was Mulholland working on the roof. He had climbed up the scaffold to hammer the steel beams into place and had not used the tower scaffold that had been made available for him. There was a full time scaffolder on site available for any of the contractors to use to ensure safe working platforms were in place.

HSE inspector Matt Greenly said: "This case dealt with a serious work at height risk which could have led to a fatal incident. David Mullholland failed in his duty to protect his own safety while at work and also placed others at risk had he dropped any tool from the position he was seen in some 27 metres above street level. During HSE's investigation he said that he did not appreciate how high he was.

"Never before in my career as an HSE Inspector have I seen such a staggering disregard for personal safety. It is a matter of pure luck that no-one was injured or killed."

(LM)