Building companies fined £380,000 after worker fell through roof of Matalan and Carpet Right in Milton Keynes

Two construction companies have been fined more than £380k after a worker fell through roof of a popular retail unit in Bletchley.

The man, who was 32 at the time, was working on the roof of Matalan and Carpet Right in Watling Street when he fell more than 20 feet through a roof light and landed on the floor below.

Luckily he survived the fall but suffered a broken ankle.

An investigation was carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the sub contractor Brackley Industrial Maintenance Ltd and the principal contractor STP Construction Ltd.

It was found there was ineffective planning of access arrangements to and on the roof by STP Construction Ltd, resulting in workers having to pass fragile materials before they could make use of the fall arrest system installed there.

The investigation also highlighted that Brackley Industrial Maintenance Ltd failed to ensure the provision and use of physical means to either prevent or arrest falls.

The incident happened in July 2019, but this month both companies appeared at Oxford Magistrates Court court and were fined a total of £380,000.

STP Construction Ltd, based in Tyne And Wear, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 13(1) of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £320,000 and ordered to pay £8,538 in costs.Brackley Industrial Maintenance Ltd, based in Southam, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 9 (2) of the Work at Height Regulations. The company was fined £68,000 and also ordered to pay £8,538 in costs.After the hearing, HSE inspector Jenny Morris said: “This incident could have easily been avoided. Assessing and planning work at height is essential to ensuring that suitable and sufficient measures are in place to prevent falls from height.“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”Advice on working from height, including key messages about doing it the right way, is available here.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It prevents work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses.