Bosses of a farmer that plunged 14ft to his death while dismantling farm buildings have been fined £60,000 at Stafford Crown Court and ordered to pay a further £30,000.
John Mills, aged 67, was working on dismantling farm buildings near Stafford when he fell in May 2014.
The Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) brought charges against The Toft Partnership arguing that they were culpable for the 'avoidable' death.
A HSE statement said: "Mr Mils used a ladder to climb onto the roof to cut bolts holding roof panels in place, but the roof gave way.
"A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Mr Mills had been working at the farm for more than 40 years.
"The Toft Partnership had told the court it assumed their manager’s day-to-day running of the farm meant he was ultimately responsible for health and safety matters, when in fact they were the duty holders with responsibility for their employees.
"Though the Toft Partnership knew the work was taking place, it gave no advice to its employees about how fragile the roof was, nor was there any planning or safe method of work in place."
Breaching health and safety
Toft bosses pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety rules and were fined £60,000 as well as ordered to pay a further £30,000.
HSE inspector Katherine Blunt added: "This death was a tragedy for everyone associated with the farm, including the duty holders themselves.
"John Mills was a stalwart for the farm whose death was avoidable.
"This case sends a very important message to farm owners that they are very clear on where their responsibilities lie."
