A Northern Irish contractor has been fined thousands following the death of a 57-year-old man who died after falling from a farm building.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has successfully led a prosecution against self-employed contractor, Jerome McCaffery.
The prosecution follows an investigation by the safety watchdog into the circumstances of the death of a 57-year-old male.
In November 2020, Jerome McCaffery was overseeing the replacement of perspex roof lights at a farm building in Camlough, Newry when the deceased fell through the fragile roof structure and died at the incident scene from his injuries.
Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities and serious injuries in Northern Ireland.
Mr McCaffery pleaded guilty to one health and safety offence and was fined 17 October a total of £2,500 at Newry Magistrates court.
Speaking after sentencing, Lee Dougan, an inspector at HSENI said working on fragile roof surfaces was a 'high-risk activity'.
"As far as possible, contractors should plan and organise work to keep people away from fragile surfaces and consider safer alternatives such as suitable work access platforms.”
The investigation found that on the day of the incident, the 57-year-old attended the farm to meet with a family member who was also working at the construction site.
He subsequently accessed the roof of the farm building and a short time later fell through an existing roof light.
In this case, HSENI said no control measures were in place to prevent falls from height or to avoid working on the fragile roof structure.
Following the incident, HSENI inspectors attended the farm and a notice was served that prohibited any further work at height activities from continuing until safety measures were put in place.
