The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted roofing contractor Gary Smith for failing to provide edge protection for subcontractors.
The result was that a worker suffered serious injuries after falling from a flat roof.
It was the second time that Smith, trading as GJ Smith Roofing, had failed to provide edge protection on a job, with HSE previously taking enforcement action against him.
The incident on 15th December 2022, when a team of roofers and labourers were working on his behalf, replacing a flat roof on a house in the Luton area.
At around 11am, one of the workers was carrying wooden boards across the roof, when he inadvertently stepped off the edge of the roof, falling a distance of about 10 feet. He suffered a fractured vertebrate in his back and a broken ankle.
The HSE investigation found the task had not been properly risk assessed and planned which meant that edge protection around the flat roof had not been put in place, despite it being reasonably practicable to do so.聽 Following HSE intervention, edge protection was installed before work resumed
Gary Smith of Watling Street, Dunstable, pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 4(1) of the Work At Height Regulations 2005.聽 He was fined 拢2,125 and ordered to pay costs of 拢5,445 at a hearing at Luton & South Bedfordshire Magistrates鈥� Court on 29th July 2025.
HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said after the hearing: 鈥淐learly Mr Smith hadn鈥檛 learnt from his previous failures. Sadly, this latest offence resulted in a man being seriously injured.
鈥淲hat makes this incident even more frustrating is the fact it could so easily have been avoided by properly planning the task and ensuring that suitable edge protection had been put in place prior to work starting.鈥�
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