Carlton Industrial Estate Barnsley: Tragedy as dad fell to his death trying to fix storm-damaged roof

Now, Sheffield magistrates have handed a suspended prison to the director of the company he was working for, and fined the firm over the incident, following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation and court case.

Jonathan May, aged 39, from Horbury, Wakefield, was a subcontractor for Davis Industrial Roofing Limited, working on a storm-damaged warehouse roof at F&G Commercials Limited, Carlton Industrial Estate in Barnsley, with two others on December 18, 2016, when he was killed in a 12-metre fall. The work involved replacing more than 300 skylights on a fragile asbestos cement roof. The skylights had been damaged in a hailstorm.

Davis Industrial Roofing Limited, Wakefield, fined

The HSE found Wakefield-based Davis Industrial Roofing Limited had failed to provide an appropriate risk assessment, method statement, and suitable and sufficient fall protection measures for the roof work to be carried out safely. The investigation found even though reasonably practicable precautions were available, poor planning had resulted in a risk assessment and method statement that was not suitable and sufficient. The work was poorly supervised and carried out unsafely.

Melvyn Davis, the sole director of the company, who had drawn up the risk assessment and method statement and had regularly visited the site to monitor progress, had failed to provide suitable and sufficient fall protection measures and consented to the use of an unsafe system of work. This constituted a personal neglect for safety during the roof work.

Melvyn Davis, of Field Place, Wakefield, admitted breaching Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months and ordered to do 15 days of rehabilitation activity at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 16 November 2022. Davis Industrial Roofing Limited, of Field Place, Wakefield, admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,557.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Chris Gallagher said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices. Companies and directors should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”