A scaffolding firm has been fined £75,000 after a 42 year-old scaffolders labourer fell 12 meters to his death.
Father-of-one 42-year-old Anthony Causby, who worked for Atherton based S&S Scaffolding, was carrying materials from scaffolders dismantling scaffolding when he stepped onto a fragile skylight and fell 12 metres onto a concrete floor.
The tragic death plunge occurred at the raw materials warehouse at the Walker Snack Foods, Skelmersdale on December 14, 2010.
S & S Scaffolding Ltd, pleaded guilty to a Health and Safety offence involving failing to ensure the safety of its employees.
Following a two day hearing Judge Graham Morrow, QC. said that the company had fallen “significantly” below the requisite safety standard.
The leighjournal.co.uk reported that he described their control measures as “inadequate and poor” and said the extent of the danger risk had been under-estimated and a safety barrier should have been extended beyond the area of one of two skylights in the immediate vicinity.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the accident occurred after employees went back to work after lunch.
Anthony Causby’s work colleague said: “For some strange reason Tony walked in between the barrier scaffolding and the hand rail and stepped across the skylight as if to walk back towards the site where he was last working.
“I was hardly six feet away and he stepped directly onto the skylight which immediately gave way and he fell through it.”
Judge Morrow said unlike the scaffolders Mr Causby did not have to have his harness clipped on as his job involved constantly moving across with roof with scaffolding tubes.
He said that possibly the victim chose the route he did either to pass Mr Ellis, who was putting his coat back on, or as a short cut.
“The reasons why he made this fatal error are unclear,” said the judge, accepting that Mr Causby had had “tool box” safety talks both on the ground and on the roof and the skylights had been pointed out as a hazard and he was shown a designated route which would take him away from them.
But Judge Morrow said: “The method adopted by placing a double hand rail in front of one of the skylights was wholly unsatisfactory.
“The defendants accept they could have done more to protect him. They could have extended the barrier to make it more difficult to get round or could have covered the skylights.
He said that S & S was a family company currently with 19 employees who were currently working short time. It had a good safety record and was well regarded in the construction industry.
Since the tragedy it has spent extra on training and introduced new safety measures.
“The company has learnt a lesson which needed to be learnt,” he added.
Mr Causby’s partner, Debra Wyley, 44, said: “It is difficult to put into words how Tony’s death has affected our lives. I feel our son is missing out on so many things that his dad would have done with him, like football, rugby and taking him swimming.
“I started having panic attacks and wouldn’t go out because I felt people were looking at me because of what had happened. I rarely go out to socialise and hate mixing with other families and attending family dos.
“I miss Tony so much. He was such a big part of our lives and was very close to my family. He often did jobs for them – even my mum and dad who live in Spain.”
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Jacqueline Western said:
“Mr Causby died because S&S Scaffolding didn’t do enough to protect him from the risks of working at height, despite being a specialist scaffolding firm and being fully aware of the dangers of falls.
“It would have been relatively easy to cover the fragile skylights near to where the employees were working to prevent anyone from falling through if they accidently stepped on one.
“Alternatively, netting or crash mats could have been provided under the skylights to reduce the chance of a worker being injured if they fell.
“Sadly, none of these options were chosen by S&S Scaffolding and Mr Causby lost his life as a result.”
Judge Morrow fined the company £75,000 plus £31,517 prosecution costs and ordered them to pay this at the rate of £5,000 per month.
Sade day
R I P mate
I worked for an unsafe scaffolder one time on Sask. Drive. This bought back memories of him and he lack of ethic and safety he had me lowering beams over 11 stories with ropes I knew it was wrong and it was windy. Most of these accidents or incidents can be prevented– right Mel you tool!
His poor family. R I P dude.
Condolences to family ,very sad
So sad R.i.p .
The blame should be on the senior hand and the manager of the firm rip young one 🙁
Any comment about should be better at there job or better educated, should be dismissed! Some young labourer/future scaffolder has lost there life! Training aside. Unacceptable!!!
Rest in Peace Brother.
usual story, labourers bein employed 2 do scaff’s work. We all moan bout HSE goin nuts wi health/safety these days, wat they shud be doin is insisting on company’s puttin guys thru their training. So many companies nowadays wont go 2 the expense of training guys up :(( RIP mate
Anyone can see that roof don’t look safe fall protection should of bin put in place there is enough of it put there now
Should never of bin put up there to work in the first place rip
Poor guy
Sean Huggins Adrian Connor Stephen Kent Eron Wheeler .. Rip mate
John why should the labourer not be up there ?
R.I.p son thoughts going out to the family
I’ve done loads of roof work, but I’m still wary of being up there, inexperienced lads should be properly supervised,(the hazards should have been drilled into them before they set foot up there) R.I.P to my fellow scaff
We always just sign are names when we do toolbox talks and sign on to the Risk Accessments, and method Statements, maybe now we’ll take all the info in.Such a sad loss to the lads family my heart go’s out to them R.I.P………….
Not likeing this,for likeing,I wa t to print off to show my men,to increase thier safety.condolences to family and Freinds.
why are the ali beams so far over on the other side of the guardrails?? did he walk round to get them thus turning at the end of guardrail and stepping on skylight. Should have been covered of marked. Bad practice either way. Sad loss. RIP : (
Very sad news rip
Rip
I,ve just read the story!! What is 75,000 to them?? think of the mans family!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well said tim
Easy to say wear your harness yet who would clip on doing a handrail on a slight pitch roof,only fault is a labourer should of been watched by the fellow scaffs that should be always watching there men? I for one have a eye on my men or make sure they know what they are doing any age.rip lad
75 grand for a mans life. Diabolical
🙁 x
Thoughts with the family
Every1 always blames the firms! Rip
Maybe the likes are to raise awareness, not like like… who was the client? More blame should be placed on the seniors who are supervising, the labourer should not have been up there atall. Rip
Rip
R.I.P
Why would people like this? Seriously
Never nice to see Rip Tony!!….
worked on that roof myself, skylights were not marked properly then. easy to walk on them not knowing that they are fragile. R.I.P. Tony, nice bloke.
sad rip
Jack I do understand what you mean. But there’s a time and a place. If the lad had been a part one then he would of had spanners and a harness. Then maybe and it is only a maybe. He would of been allowed on a roof. But supervised at all times.
How come there wasnt any netting inside ? Health and safety wasnt an issue then ? The days of risking your life , for a 1er have long gone. I stay well away from Town work, to many short cuts and rushing for my liking . R.I.P fellow scaffolder
Brings back shocking memories . Rest in peace. Thoughts to family
R.i.p thay shouldn’t ov let him walk on them dick heads thay are
Unacceptable!! Rip to the lad.
@ben shortarse lea well maybe he wanted to learn the trade an to be fair that’s the only way ur going to as collage don’t teach you nothing !
Thoughts to his family and friends £75.0000 fine is not acceptable the firm should have been condemned !!! RIP FELLA
What was the labourer doing behind the hand rail in the first place..
why just the handrail ??? where the youngmans ??? or boards ??? who was supervising and why wasnt the risks clear ???
fine isn’t enough firm should be made to shut down completely.They cut corners which cost this poor lad his life. Inertia reel should have been set up and skylights boarded over
R.i.p
That happened to a mate of mine,Russ cope,,,as luck would have it he didn’t die,,RIP
Why wasn’t the sky light covered or cordoned off ??
thoughts out to the family and friends R.I.P. lad …..
The fine was not anuff. How many of us have had to go on jobs just like this and we have had to do it to get to earn a wage. Why weren’t the sky lights highlighted with red top hats anyway and I bet a penny to a pound there were no anchor points fitted for an inertia real to be used. This kind of thing happens way to often for my liking. Stay safe lads and my hart goes out to his family.
It’s ok saying always wear ur harness no always clip on work to sg4 if possible and or eliminate the risk of this ie gotcha kit reels etc mupes risk assessments RIP to the lad
Rip tony, was a good lad, s@s got a light fine.
this happend to a 18 year old lad in cardiff working on the asda store next to the cardiff city stadium , it was his first day working for a cladding firm . he fell through the sky light same as that . he died in my mates arms waiting for an ambulance . so sad . r.i.p
Fu king joke even if he wa wearing it wasn’t of made no difference I he wasn’t hooked on
Thoughts to his family and friends
Omg i used to work at s&s!
Outrageous!!
Always wear your harness
Not gud this
Sad
Shud be millions not thousands these courts are a joke and prison shud be served aswell , aswell as not bing able to run a firm that’s a punishment . Not a lousy 75 grand
Harnesses hanging on the hand rail tut tut
may he rest in peace