A Hertfordshire construction firm has been fined £144,000 after a worker was seriously injured when he fell from a roof during demolition work.

Southwark Crown Court heard that in February 2013 two of Montway Ltd's employees were working on the roof of a two storey detached house in Golders Green, London.

Mr Ioan Vancea, a labourer for the company fell from the partly demolished roof and suffered serious injuries. No scaffolding had been provided and the work was unsupervised.


Mr Vancea fell five metres from the roof to the ground and sustained multiple injuries including a fractured spine. He was hospitalised for three months, of which two weeks he was in an induced coma due to the severity of the injuries he sustained.

The site was inspected by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) two weeks after the incident and unsupervised demolition work was still being carried out.

HSE identified a number of serious issues including asbestos which had been removed from the house and was found in broken pieces, mixed with other debris in a pile by a neighbouring property's hedge. Enforcement Notices were immediately served to ensure workers and members of the public were protected.

Montway Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £144,000 and ordered to pay £43,606.15 in costs.