Two brothers, Jason and Gary White who are directors of G E White and Sons Ltd, have been fined £6000 each plus costs for allowing employees to work at height unsafely.
Workers were spotted constructing a steel frame building in Lewes approximately four to five metres from the floor with no safety netting or scaffold, whilst standing on roof sheets, said an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The brothers were immediately given a Prohibition Notice which prevented them from carrying out any further work until the safety issues were rectified but when the HSE re-visited the site six days later, only half of the structure was netted and one side of the scaffolding had been removed.
The same issue was identified on another site back in 2011 and the brothers were issued an Improvement Notice to put a management system into place.
However, on this occasion, Jason and Gary White pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for failing to comply with the Work at Height Regulations 2005 SI 2005/735 at Worthing Magistrates' Court and have each been ordered to pay a total of £6681.
