A company has been fined after workers were spotted carrying out unsafe work on various roofs.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that, on three separate occasions in 2016, a director of Quality Food Products (Aberdeen) Ltd carried out work at height when there were no suitable or sufficient measures in place to prevent him, nor the employees who were assisting him, falling a distance likely to cause personal injury.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that on one of those occasions the director and an employee accessed the roof by standing on the prongs of a fork lift truck which had a wooden pallet attached to it. During the course of the works they were seen to toss waste materials to the ground. Two other incidents were detailed which related to works carried out primarily by the director with brief assistance from an employee.
Photographs of the illegal activities were taken by concerned witnesses and HSE was alerted.
Quality Food Products (Aberdeen) Ltd of West Tullos Industrial Estate, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £10,000.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Connor Gibson said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the standards required.”
Notes to Editors:
1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk.
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
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