Burnley engineering firm fined after worker fall

An engineering firm based in the Lancashire town of Burnley has been prosecuted and fined by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a contractor fell from the roof of its factory.

Lupton & Place was fined £6,000 over the incident, in which a 67-year-old contractor fell through a roof panel. He was lucky enough to escape injury as he fell on a machine cover four metres below him, but the HSE asserts that the engineering firm did not do enough to prevent the accident from occurring.

Reedley Magistrates Court heard how the employee, who asked not to be named, was asked to fix a leak on the roof without anything in place to protect him from losing his balance and falling.

HSE investigating inspector Matt Lea said:

“The contractor had been employed by the firm for more than 30 years, but nothing was done to monitor or control the work he was doing.”

Lupton & Place admitted breaching health and safety at work laws and paid the fine plus £6,250 in court costs, no doubt using its employers’ liability insurance. This kind of professional insurance cover is mandatory for all firms with employees, whether employed on a contract or full-time basis.

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