John Ruck Construction is fined 拢35000 after man falls from unprotected roof

A Herefordshire building firm has been prosecuted by the HSE after a man broke his arm falling through a roof.

John Ruck Construction was fined 拢3,500 after Mark Woodward, aged 25, fell 4.5 metres through a roof at Leadon Court in Ledbury.

The HSE said John Ruck had failed to take sufficient measures to prevent anyone falling through an unprotected fragile roof.

Woodward fell through a fibre cement sheet roof onto a concrete floor.

The HSE said that protective measures were in place but when the work plan changed employees had to pass across roofs that were unprotected.

HSE Principal Inspector Tony Woodward said: " He is extremely lucky to be alive; we would not normally expect someone falling from that height onto a concrete floor to survive.鈥�

In the last year 23 construction workers were killed in falls and 3,409 were seriously injured.