A construction firm from Bangor, Gwynedd, has been fined £450,000 and ordered to pay £98,000 in costs after a young worker fell from height in 2007. Thomas Whitmarsh suffered major head injuries in the fall and tragically died from his injuries two years later.
He was employed by a roofing contractor working for principal contractor Watkin Jones & Son Ltd and was deployed on the construction of the Menai Centre in Bangor. Whilst on the roof, Mr Whitmarsh fell almost six metres through an unguarded hole, sustaining serious head injuries. The injury he suffered exposed him to a higher degree of infection and he died in 2009 after contracting acute meningitis.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the firm, and the court heard that the edge protection around the opening in the roof had been removed prior to the fall. Watkin Jones & Son Ltd were found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
HSE inspector Chris Wilcox said, "Poor co-ordination between the principal and the roofing contractors on this particular part of the site led to the edge protection being removed from around the roof opening without alternative safeguards in place."
He added, "Falls from height are an alarmingly common cause of death and serious injury in construction. All too often straightforward practical precautions are not considered and workers are put needlessly at risk. Poor management of risk in this industry is unacceptable and the HSE will take strong action when necessary.
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