Home>	Facilities Management	>Facilities management	>Worker seriously injured in warehouse roof fall
Home>	Health & Safety	>PPE	>Worker seriously injured in warehouse roof fall
Home>	Health & Safety	>Services	>Worker seriously injured in warehouse roof fall

ARTICLE

Worker seriously injured in warehouse roof fall

02 December 2013

Two men have been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries when he fell through a fragile warehouse roof in Poole.

Bradley White suffered four broken bones in the bottom of his back, a broken hip and pelvis, a shattered femur, four fractures to his left arm, a fractured right wrist and ligament damage. He was in hospital for three weeks and has had to undergo numerous operations.

The 27-year-old had been employed by Michael Davies to replace the roof on a large industrial unit at W & S Recycling on Nuffield Industrial Estate in Poole, which is owned and occupied by Geoff Thompson.

Mr Davies and Mr Thompson were both prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found they had failed to make sure the work could be carried out safely.

Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard today (29 November) that Mr White had been walking on the fragile cement roof on 27 March 2012 when his foot went through one of the fragile sheets. He landed on the concrete floor about six metres below.

HSE’s investigation found there was no edge protection, safety netting or any other measure in place at the site to stop Mr White falling or to prevent him from being injured.

Michael Davies, of Kingston Road in Poole, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 by failing to ensure workers were not put a risk. He was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.

Geoff Thompson, who trades as W & S Recycling, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9 of the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007 by failing to ensure the arrangements made for managing the project were suitable. Mr Thompson, of Nuffield Road in Poole, was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay costs of £5,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector James Powell said:

"The dangers of working at height are well known, yet workers undertaking roof work and building maintenance sometimes die or are permanently disabled because of the poor safety standards and lack of safeguards that still exist among some contractors.

"It is essential that the hazards associated with working at height are recognised and understood by the client who commissions the work. The client must make sure the individual or company they employ is competent to carry out roof work and is aware of the hazards and precautions that need to be taken for the work to be carried out safely.

"Geoff Thompson did not properly asses Mr Davies’ arrangements for health and safety and determine whether he would be able to do the work safely and without risk.

"This prosecution should serve as a reminder to all involved in construction projects, including clients, that they have a legal duty to ensure work at height is properly planned and robust safety precautions are put in place.”

Further information about working safely at height can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/falls.

The Handling & Storage Solutions Safer Logistics Campaign

Handling & Storage Solutions has launched the Safer Logistics campaign to promote health and safety awareness in logistics in 2014.

We were inspired to launch the campaign by the Health and Safety Executive encouraging all stakeholders to show leadership and ‘be part of the solution’.

What you can do

We think a couple of simple principles are worth repeating.

- If you doubt the safety of a working practice, stop. Talk to your supervisor or manager and agree a safe way of proceeding. Don’t carry on and hope for the best.

- No matter who you are in the management structure or workforce, take responsibility for your safety, don’t assume someone else has taken care of it.

Safety in Partnership

In 2014, we are running a series of features in our magazine and across our digital platforms focusing on a number of key safety areas in association with valued industry partners.

January: Safety in Handling

February: Safety in Storage

March: Safety in the Warehouse

April: Safety In Transit

May: Loading Bay Safety

June: Safety Training
July / August: Forklift Safety
September: Safety in Flooring
October: Safety in Automation
November / December: Safety in Maintenance

Contact Angela Lyus on 07818 574304 / [email protected] for more details.

Home	Blogs
News	LM TV
Suppliers	Contact Us
Editor's Pic	Advertisers Area
Features	Events
www.hsdguide.com
	Subscribe Free to LM
	Newsletters
	Digital Editions

Automation
Distribution
Facilities Management
Goods in & out
Health & Safety
Lift Trucks
Lifting & Moving
Warehouse IT
Warehouse Storage

Cleaning Matters
Controls, Drives & Automation
Health and Safety Matters
Industrial Plant and Equipment
Manufacturing Matters Ireland

© Western Business Media 2025
Dorset House, 64 High Street East Grinstead
West Sussex RH19 3DE

Worker seriously injured in warehouse roof fall

01342 314300