Two subcontractors have been fined after a man died following a fall from the roof of a building site in Warrington.
On 24 February 2021, father-of-one Dennis Vincent, 36, and another worker were using ropes to install a lightning protection system at the front of an office block being converted into flats.
Vincent was lowering the access equipment from the roof using a rope attached to a frame at roof level and a handrail at ground level. As he did so, both he and the frame fell from the roof to the ground.
Inco Contracts Ltd and Prestige Security Installations Ltd were fined a total of £630,000 last week (30 November) after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation.
The companies were found guilty of breaching health and safety regulations following a three-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this year.
Principal contractors’ duty to ensure safe work
In addition, in February this year Vincent’s employer, PTSG Electrical Services Ltd, was fined £120,000 for failing to adequately assess the risks associated with working at height.
HSE inspector Sara Andrews said: “Principal contractors and contractors should be aware that appointing subcontractors with specific specialisms does not remove the duty that they have to ensure the work has been properly planned and can be undertaken safely.
“Had Inco Contracts Ltd and Prestige Security Installations Ltd properly reviewed PTSG Electrical Services Ltd’s proposals for carrying out the work, they could have ensured suitable controls were in place prior to work starting and this tragic incident could have been avoided.”
