Company fined after roofer fell through loft hatch

A company has been fined £20,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 after a worker fell through a loft hatch when working on a domestic property.

The worker was stripping out the internal insulation in the roof of the property when he stepped on an unguarded loft hatch and fell 11 feet to the floor below. The worker fractured his vertebra and hip and has been unable to return to work following the incident.

The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company did not have a suitable plan in place for working at height and did not take adequate measures to prevent falls. Further, the supervision of the work was found not to be sufficient and those overseeing the work did not have the training or experience to do so.