A construction company has been fined £183,000 for an incident in 2022 when an employee tragically died after falling through the roof of an Edinburgh warehouse.
Ross Hanratty, 28, was working to clear roof gutters on two blocks of warehouses at Seafield Industrial Estate in October 2022 when he fell 24 feet.
He was working for utility and infrastructure services firm IPSUM Drainage at the time.
A health and safety investigation led by The City of Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland found that the accident could have been prevented if Mr Hanratty was “provided with the necessary safety information, instruction and equipment”.
It is understood that Mr Hanratty – who had “no previous experience working at heghts” – was wearing a harness at the time, but that it was not connected to any individual or collective fall prevention measures.
The 28-year-old fell through the fragile roof he was working on and died as a result of his injuries.
IPSUM Drainage (Scotland) Ltd pled guilty to offences under health and safety legislation yesterday, Thursday 19 February.
The offence covered the failure to make a “suitable and sufficient assessment” of the risk to the health and safety of employees working at height in order to clean gutters on roofs, in particular the hazards presented by fragile roofs.
The company also failed to provide a safe system of work for the cleaning of roof gutters, ensuring proper precautions were taken to prevent a fall from height.
There was also a failure to provide the information and instruction necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their employees, in particular sufficient information to Mr Hanratty, about what areas of the roof on one of the units did not need cleaned.
Edinburgh City councillor Neil Ross, convener of the Regulatory Committee, said: “This sentence should send a clear message to employers that the Council and the courts take a failure to comply with health and safety legislation extremely seriously.
“We extend our sincere condolences to Mr Hanratty’s family and loved ones at this very difficult time.
“This is a tragic accident that could have been prevented.
“Mr Hanratty was new to his job and had no previous experience working at heights, he was not provided with the necessary safety information, instruction, and equipment to keep him safe whilst working at height.
“Falls from height are the most common cause of death and serious injury to people at work.
“Falls through fragile roofing materials account for many of these deaths. These incidents can be prevented if reasonably practicable measures are put in place to protect workers.”
