A roofing contractor has been prosecuted after a worker was seriously injured when he fell through a fragile roof during work in Scunthorpe.

Broadley Roofing Limited of Hebden Road, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, has been fined £53,000 with over £2,465 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching both Regulation 4(1) and Regulation 9(2) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Grimsby Magistrates court heard how an employee was working on a roof while Broadley Roofing were carrying out external refurbishment of the warehouse of a former retail store at Skippingdale Industrial Estate between 11 September 2016 and 01 October 2016.


On 30 September 2016, the worker was on the roof working when he fell six metres on to a solid concrete floor. His injuries included numerous fractures to his vertebrae, shoulder, ankle, and ribs.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation (HSE) found that while unsecured boards had been provided to cover nearby roof lights, the company failed to provide any other control measures to prevent falls through the roof while the roof sheets were being replaced.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Alison Outhwaite said: "Work at height, such as roof work, is a high-risk activity that accounts for a high proportion of workplace serious injuries and fatalities each year.

"This incident could have been avoided had the company ensured that appropriate measures were in place to prevent falls, in line with industry standards for roof work."

(LM)