A vehicle repair firm has been sentenced over the death of a man who fell through a fragile garage roof in Manchester.
Manchester Crown Court heard the owner of the company had asked him to climb onto the sloping roof to help fix the sign in place on 8 February 2009. Once the work was finished, Mr Hashim made his way back across the roof to the ladder when the skylight gave way.
The 76-year-old from Cheetham Hill fell four metres and landed on the concrete floor in the MOT bay below. He was treated at the scene but died from his injuries on 22 February 2009.
The HSE investigation found Mr Hashim had been warned about the fragile roof by the owner of the company and no action was taken to keep him safe by preventing him accessing the area.
Maybe we do do a new sign. No pensioners to go on the roof!
A worker was asked to to go onto a roof the owner knew was unsafe, OK the worker was warned that the roof was fragile so he should have refused to go up there but that in no negates the employers responsibility towards their employees.
The company were lucky to get off with a fine of £15,000 in my opinion.
Quality Exhaust Supplies and Fitting Service Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 in prosecution costs on 16 February 2012.
Speaking after the hearing, Matt Greenly, the investigating inspector at HSE, said:
"It’s almost unbelievable that Mohammed Hashim was asked to climb onto the roof when the owner of Quality Exhaust knew it wasn’t safe.
"It simply isn’t good enough to warn someone about a danger if no action is taken to prevent it. The company should have found another way of installing the sign without putting lives at risk.
“Instead, Mr Hashim has sadly lost his life because not enough thought was given to his safety while he was working for the company.”
I know everybody moans and groans about the elf and safety, and what companies have to be seen doing, but I really do wonder what our employers would be expecting us to do if there where no laws in place.
shep532:
here’s the content of a health & Safety bulletin received on Friday from NESTLE - to be handed out to all drivers that will go on a Nestle site
No use of mobile phones whilst walking
At least one hand MUST be on the hand rail on any stairs
No walking and carrying a hot drink.
These are actually contained in a Health & Safety document
I look at H&S as sometime inconvenient, BUT if it was not law the companies simply would not provide the kit, training or anything else, they would want to save money by not providing it, and so would take the risk. H&S is also a good tool to beat the crap companies with, makes them look like the third rate wannabes they are.
shep532:
here’s the content of a health & Safety bulletin received on Friday from NESTLE - to be handed out to all drivers that will go on a Nestle site
No use of mobile phones whilst walking
At least one hand MUST be on the hand rail on any stairs
No walking and carrying a hot drink.
These are actually contained in a Health & Safety document
Is it getting silly or what?
don’t blame the companies or their elf an safety bods, blame the people that sue over something that was their own stupidity and the lawyers that drive the industry.
Wheel Nut: A vehicle repair firm has been sentenced over the death of a man who fell through a fragile garage roof in Manchester.
Manchester Crown Court heard the owner of the company had asked him to climb onto the sloping roof to help fix the sign in place on 8 February 2009. Once the work was finished, Mr Hashim made his way back across the roof to the ladder when the skylight gave way.
The 76-year-old from Cheetham Hill fell four metres and landed on the concrete floor in the MOT bay below. He was treated at the scene but died from his injuries on 22 February 2009.
The HSE investigation found Mr Hashim had been warned about the fragile roof by the owner of the company and no action was taken to keep him safe by preventing him accessing the area.
Maybe we do do a new sign. No pensioners to go on the roof!
Wheel Nut: A vehicle repair firm has been sentenced over the death of a man who fell through a fragile garage roof in Manchester.
Manchester Crown Court heard the owner of the company had asked him to climb onto the sloping roof to help fix the sign in place on 8 February 2009. Once the work was finished, Mr Hashim made his way back across the roof to the ladder when the skylight gave way.
The 76-year-old from Cheetham Hill fell four metres and landed on the concrete floor in the MOT bay below. He was treated at the scene but died from his injuries on 22 February 2009.
The HSE investigation found Mr Hashim had been warned about the fragile roof by the owner of the company and no action was taken to keep him safe by preventing him accessing the area.
Maybe we do do a new sign. No pensioners to go on the roof!
steptoe:
I know everybody moans and groans about the elf and safety, and what companies have to be seen doing, but I really do wonder what our employers would be expecting us to do if there where no laws in place.
It’s not the Elves and Safety that we moan about, it’s OVER THE TOP health and safety that drives us mad.
Like, dropping red airlines on bays, chocking wheels, suzi locks, handing keys in, hard hats in daft places, hi vis’ when driving in your truck in yards etc.
As I’ve said in the past, I don’t mind a certain amount of health and safety, but some is just too much of a ■■■■ take. How is dropping red air lines, suzi locks, handing keys in etc any different to putting a trailer brake on or chocking the trailer wheels? Either way, the vehicle isn’t going anywhere without a massive effort, and anyone willing to go to that effort will still get the truck to move no matter what daft measures they put in place.
Hi Vis’ when driving a truck in a rail head, ok I know it’s rail sidings law, but if you can’t see a truck, you’ve no chance of seeing the hi-vis, and why don’t we have to wear one everytime we cross a level crossing?
Wheel Nut: A vehicle repair firm has been sentenced over the death of a man who fell through a fragile garage roof in Manchester.
Manchester Crown Court heard the owner of the company had asked him to climb onto the sloping roof to help fix the sign in place on 8 February 2009. Once the work was finished, Mr Hashim made his way back across the roof to the ladder when the skylight gave way.
The 76-year-old from Cheetham Hill fell four metres and landed on the concrete floor in the MOT bay below. He was treated at the scene but died from his injuries on 22 February 2009.
The HSE investigation found Mr Hashim had been warned about the fragile roof by the owner of the company and no action was taken to keep him safe by preventing him accessing the area.
Maybe we do do a new sign. No pensioners to go on the roof!
Quite a lot of Health and Safety isn’t law, it’s ‘Company Policy’ which is not the same thing at all. (Not in the above case, clearly this was wrong).
It’s quite surprising how little is actually law. Most of it is done on the initiative of the said company who are ■■■■■ scared of being sued…
I was once told that hazards on site were a legal requirement. We then had a row in which he admitted they were not but were ‘company policy’…which is a long way from a legal requirement…
Ellis Furniture in Huddersfield sent a one eyed fella on the roof to clean the skylights, needless to say he came down the fast way, absolute ■■■■■ place as far as H&S goes, despite their recent accreditations.
MADBAZ:
Ellis Furniture in Huddersfield sent a one eyed fella on the roof to clean the skylights, needless to say he came down the fast way, absolute [zb] place as far as H&S goes, despite their recent accreditations.
MADBAZ:
Ellis Furniture in Huddersfield sent a one eyed fella on the roof to clean the skylights, needless to say he came down the fast way, absolute [zb] place as far as H&S goes, despite their recent accreditations.
Surely thats discrimination?
No… when his mate told him to keep an eye out for the gaffer, he couldn’t see what he was doing, no wonder he fell off!
alamcculloch:
WHY are we making the old guys continue working when there is a burgeoning supply of young lads who cannot get their first start ?
Probably because the cost of living is so high in this country that any of us norms will be lucky if we can afford to retire as opposed to having to carry on working
