A building contractor and an exhibition venue in London have been fined after a worker fell through a skylight during roof repair work in the city.

The Business Design Centre Limited, of Upper Street, Islington, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £300,000 with over £2,925 in costs.

James Murphy, 64, from Chigwell in Essex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(a) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £4,000 with over £2,925 in costs.


Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how the Centre had appointed Mr Murphy to undertake repair work at the site on 14 May 2015.

Mr Murphy had selected a specialist lead contractor to help carry out the project. The repairs involved workers crossing an unsafe roof, which contained three fragile skylights and open edges.

As the lead contractor walked over the roof, he crashed through a skylight and fell 5.5 metres to the ground below. His injuries included a shattered pelvis, broken wrist, and a broken elbow.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the Business Design Centre failed to ensure that access to and from the areas of the roof which required repair was suitable and safe, and that sufficient measures were in place to protect against the risks of falling from height. The Centre had also failed to prevent contractors crossing the same roof on a number of occasions.

In addition, HSE found Mr Murphy had failed to ensure that the job of accessing and then inspecting the auditorium roof was properly planned.

(LM)