A roofing company boss was fined for allowing his staff to work unprotected.
Phillip McGinn, from Lydiate, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a passerby reported a concern regarding unsafe work at height.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how on March 5 last year McGinn and two workers were replacing roof tiles on a detached dormer bungalow in Lydiate, without any scaffolding or edge protection in place to prevent them from falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.
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An investigation by the HSE found McGinn had failed to take suitable and sufficient measures to ensure that work at height was carried out safely.
He had also failed to provide sufficient work equipment to prevent a fall or to minimise the distance or consequences of a fall.
The court also heard this was not the first time HSE had encountered poor working practices from McGinn.
The HSE took previous enforcement action and prosecuted McGinn for a similar offence in 2012, where he was fined £3,000 and told to pay £1,688 in court costs.
McGinn was found guilty of breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
He received a thirteen-month suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £1,000.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Anthony Stuart Hadfield said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.
"Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standard.”
