A roofing contractor has been prosecuted for safety failings during re-roofing work at two properties in Manchester.

Mr Daniel Clifford, of Cottage Lawns, Hayes Lane, Alderley Edge, trading as D Clifford Roofing Solutions, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 6 (3) and 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. He has been sentenced to complete a 12 month Community Order with an unpaid work requirement of 200 hours and £1,500 in costs.

Manchester Magistrates Court heard how Mr Clifford was undertaking work to re-roof two domestic bungalows. To assist with the project, he appointed an 18-year-old man with no previous experience, training or skills in roofing work.

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were alerted after a concerned member of the public witnessed two people working on the roof without anything in place to prevent them from falling on 15 October 2015.

The HSE inspector who attended on the same day found both men working on the roof without any measures in place to prevent falls.

An investigation into the incident found that Mr Clifford had failed to properly plan, appropriately supervise and carry out the work safety so as to prevent the risk of his employee falling from the roof and sustaining injury or even worse. He also failed to implement widely understood measures to prevent falls: namely, collective edge protection.

HSE inspector David Argument said: "Every year, people are killed and seriously injured when they fall from height at work. Roof work is particularly dangerous and employers must take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent falls wherever it is reasonably practicable to do so.

"On re-roofing projects such as this, the provision of simple, collective edge protection would have prevented a risk of Mr Clifford's employee falling."

(LM)