Steven Hendry of Apex Roofing & Property Services, has been fined £400 and costs of £3,852 by Plymouth Magistrates Court
The UK roofer was sentenced due to pleading guilty of breaching section 20(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Hendry was issued an HSE prohibition notice after an inspection found that roof replacement work was being carried out without scaffolding.
The roofer ignored warnings and verbally abused the inspector
HSE received safety concerns that workers had been seen carrying out a replacement without any scaffolding in place. An investigation confirmed that unsafe work was being carried out, and a prohibition notice was served against Hendry b HSE inspector Hatti Shipp.
More information was requested from Hendry, who then failed to comply. Hendry was then verbally abusive to Shipp, and then continued working on the roof without scaffolding. He then chose not to attend court, leading to a warrant being issued for his arrest.
This constituted a case of work-related violence, defined by HSE as “any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.”
HSE Inspector, Hatti Shipp, said: “Part of our role to prevent further risk of injury is to follow-up with companies or individuals who work unsafely, ensuring they are held accountable for improving conditions for workers and demonstrating to the HSE that they have done so.
“In this case, the defendant made it impossible for us to conduct this work and confirm the safety of those he was paying to undertake roof work.
“Not only did Hendry demonstrate a flagrant disregard to HSE and its powers, he was also verbally abusive to me in the process.”
HSE are stepping up inspections
In October, it was announced that 12 HSE inspectors would carry out surprise inspections at construction sites in Manchester. This was carried out on 21 October.
The inspections were to search for health and safety risks associated with asbestos, musculoskeletal disorders, noise issues, health surveillance, or dust issues.
This was part of completing 14,000 inspections throughout the nation, with 8,000 of these focused on health.
HSE principal inspector Kevin Jones, one of those leading the team, said: “We’ll be checking that businesses have the right measures in place to ensure health risks are being managed and that workers are being kept safe.
“Manchester is home to some of the biggest construction projects in the country, however all sizes of sites will be inspected.
“By its nature, construction is a high hazard industry. It can be noisy and dusty, with people often working at height and around heavy machinery and vehicles.”
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