A roofer and scaffolder have been sentenced following a fatal fall from height at a two-storey terraced house in Wimbledon.
Southwark Crown Court heard that on 26 November, 2018, Philip Drinkwater and Anthony Bradley were working on the roof, which was accessed using a ladder and scaffolding that had been erected by Dean Glen.
Later that day, Philip asked his co-worker, Anthony, to help him move some slates up onto the roof using an electric hoist.
While he was carrying out the loading, he fell approximately 6m through a gap, which was adjacent to the hoist and landed on the ground where he died almost immediately.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Dean had erected the scaffold leaving a 1.17m gap in the edge protection at the ladder access point without fitting a scaffold gate. He had erected the scaffold when not fully qualified to do so, and it did not comply with industry standards or legal requirements. Philip was in charge of the roof work, which he allowed to proceed despite the gap and unsafe ladder access.
He lacked the training to manage health and safety on the site, and failed to appoint a suitably qualified scaffolder to erect the scaffold.
Philip Drinkwater (trading as Prestige Roofing) from New Malden pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,318. Meanwhile, Dean Glen (trading as DDP scaffolding) from Horley pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was also fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,318.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Kevin Smith, said: “The tragedy of this incident was that it was totally avoidable Preventative measures were inexpensive and required little time or effort. Reducing the size of the opening in the guard rails and installing a self-closing scaffold gate would have stopped this man from falling to his death. A scaffold gate costs around £40 and only takes a few minutes to install.
“Those involved in scaffolding and roof work on smaller sites need to be aware of the potentially devastating consequences of failing to put basic safeguards in place.”
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