Denbigh fined after man falls through roof

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding businesses about the dangers their employees and contractors face in working at height and are urging them to ensure proper safety measures are taken. The warning comes after Denbighshire County Council and self-employed contractor Neil James were prosecuted for an incident in which a worker fell nearly five metres through a fragile roof at a farm in Rhuddlan. The worker, David Evans, sustained injuries to his knee, arm and a dislocated shoulder in the fall at Bryn Gwyn Farm, which was owned by the council. Both Denbighshire County Council and Neil James pleaded guilty to charges under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in a hearing at Wrexham Magistrates Court. James was fined £1,000 with £500 costs, while the Council were fined £8,000 with £5,300 costs. HSE inspector Debbie John said: "Despite his injuries, Mr Evans was lucky to escape with his life from this incident as there are too many fatalities resulting from falls, and often from a much lower height than 4.9 metres as in this case. "Working at height is an occupational hazard in many jobs, but it is imperative that employers take the necessary safety precautions when any of their workers are in this position." In Denbighshire there were 12 falls from height incidents reported to enforcing authorities in the period 2004/05, with a total of 523 for the whole of Wales in the same period. There were 53 fatalities in the Great Britain as a result of a fall from height, nearly one quarter of the total (220) of all fatalities across all industries. Employers looking for further information on working at height can call HSE's InfoLine on 0845 3450055 or write to HSE Infoline, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.