A building site manager has been jailed for 2.5 years for manslaughter by gross negligence and a further 8 months for health and safety offences.
Mr Faruk Patel was the site manager and requested Mr Tasadaq Ur-Rehman, a window fitter, to fit windows on the first floor of the building concerned.
Mr Ur-Rehman, on agreeing to the work, fell through an open skylight on the first floor roof.
On 26 January, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors issued a prohibition notice on Mr Patel, ordering a halt to any work at height. Despite this, on two subsequent visits, one after Mr Ur-Rehman’s death, they found evidence that work had continued.
Police then found that the prohibition notice had been breached again, and Mr Patel was arrested on charges of manslaughter by gross negligence.
The HSE found in an investigation that there were several issues with the site management. Ladders were unfit for purpose, one ladder was found to be propped up in a pile of sand, scaffolding was either not present at places of work or incorrectly secured. Furthermore, there was no qualified first aider on site, nor were there warning signs for hazards in the site.
Mr Patel was found guilty of the manslaughter charge by a jury, taking only three hours to decide a verdict.
Detective Inspector Alex Hathaway was the senior investigating officer on the enquiry. He said: “This was a tragic incident which could have been avoided had Patel taken his role to protect his workforce on the building site seriously.”
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