Patrick McCarthy (trading name All Care Home Improvements) was sentenced to 14 months in prison following the death of Andrei-Ionel Hutanu in 2019.
No scaffolding or other measures were taken to prevent falls from the roof.
Harrow Crown Court heard Hutanu, 33, and another man working at the rear of a commercial building in Neasden on August 19, 2019.
While his colleague was assigned to remove building materials from a flat roof, Hutanu was assigned to carry out repair work on a pitched tiled roof. He was working on it from a roof ladder when he fell about fifteen feet into a concrete alley below.
He broke his neck in the fall and suffered further serious head injuries, and although he was taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington by ambulance, he died a week later.
An HSE investigation found McCarthy had taken no steps to prevent falls from heights, failing to install scaffolding around the perimeter of the building or flat roof where both men were working.
McCarthy (trading name All Care Home Improvements) of Ealing pleaded guilty to safety violations and received 14 months in prison.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Philip Jordan said: “This tragic incident could easily have been avoided. Assessment and planning for work at height is essential to ensure that appropriate and sufficient fall prevention measures are in place.
“The imprisonment handed down to Mr McCarthy should make it clear to everyone in the construction industry that the courts and the HSE take non-compliance extremely seriously. HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against any individual or entity that fails to meet the required standards.”
www.constructionenquirer.com
https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2023/04/12/roofing-boss-jailed-after-worker-dies-in-five-metre-fall/
