Company ordered to pay over £140k after man fell through barn roof
14th January 2025
A company has to pay over £140,000 after a man was left seriously injured when he fell through a barn roof at a farm in Southampton.
The 37-year-old man from Bursledon had been helping his friend repair a fire-damaged storage barn at Dodwell Farm Limited on Pylands Lane on 9th February 2023.
The father-of-one had been at the top of a sloped roof fixing new panels to timbers, but they were not strong enough to hold his weight.
They gave way when he stood on them, and he fell through to the hard surface about 10 metres below. The injuries he sustained were severe and resulted in an extended period in hospital.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that safety measures such as barriers, netting or access equipment were not in place.
Dodwell Farm Limited had failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of workers, and others affected by the work, when replacing the barn roof.
Keeping people safe
HSE said that working at height remains one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries. Common cases include falls from ladders and through fragile surfaces. Read the guidance here.
Dodwell Farm Limited of Bursledon pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £133,000 and was ordered to pay £8,816 costs plus a £2,000 surcharge at a hearing at Southampton Magistrates Court on 3rd January 2025.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Nicola Pinckney said: “Too many workers are injured and killed every year as a result of falling from height.
“The sentence imposed on Dodwell Farm Limited should underline to everyone who carries out work at height that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously.
“Measures to prevent the accident, such as avoiding working from the roof, protecting fragile surfaces and having netting in place, are well known and readily available.
“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”
Read more farm safety news.
