Company Owner Faces Manslaughter Charges
The charge of manslaughter in the case of an employee who died due to a twenty foot fall has been placed on record against a roofing business owner. The boss claimed that he did not ignore the risks of the job when presenting his case to the jury.
On the 29th of November 2005, the worker, Darren Hoofe died while being attended to at the hospital following his fall. The owner of I C Roofing Ltd, 48 year old, Mr. Colin Cooper stated that he felt no responsibility for the fatal fall through a skylight.
While repairing the roof in East Sussex, two safety precautions were compromised including the lack of a catching net and the absence of a harness required to be worn by the twenty year old employee. The jury at Hove Crown Court were told.
Hoofe was admitted to the London hospital, King’s College after being picked up from the work site at 11:52 am. Because of the severity of the injuries to his head, he passed away the next day, even with the best of hospitals efforts.
I C Roofing Ltd located in Hailsham, along with its owner, were charged due to the results of an investigation, which was conducted, by the Health and Safety Executive and police in Sussex.
Jail sentences are now a real possibility for company owners who flout H&S rules that result in a death. Make sure that you are not involved in such a distressing incident by contacting Workplace Law Training who offer a range of accredited health and safety training courses, including the IOSH Managing Safely Certificate.
