Grimsby Magistrates court heard how, between 11 September 2016 and 1 October 2016, the employee of Broadley Roofing Ltd was working on a roof while the company were carrying out external refurbishment of the warehouse of a former retail store at Skippingdale Industrial Estate. Scunthorpe.

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

An HSE investigation 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.

Broadley Roofing of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £53,000 and ordered to pay £2,465.15 in costs.

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.”