Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Gender equality
Practice meets perfect
May/June 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Management
  • Human factors
  • Safe systems of work
Work at height
Construction
News

Construction firms fined after director blown off roof during storm

Open-access content Tuesday 30th July 2019
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Bowmer and Kirkland, Advanced Roofing and JKW Roofing Services were working on a new three-storey teaching block at Abbotsfield School for Boys in Hillingdon, west London, when the accident happened on 23 February 2017.
Westminster Magistrates' Court was told that, because of 94 mph winds, there were several warnings on site and many activities had been suspended.
However, the roof works continued until early that afternoon, when the director of JKW Roofing, John Whitham, was blown off the roof along with freestanding A-frame barriers and stacks of insulation.
The 52-year-old sustained severe injuries to his pelvis, back and leg.
Bowmer and Kirkland was the principal contractor. The roofing works were contracted to Advanced Roofing, which subcontracted some of the works on the main building to JKW Roofing.
An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found all three companies had failed to properly assess the risk of high winds during work at height.
It said they had taken an "informal approach to assessing weather conditions which was not in line with industry standards".
Bowmer and Kirkland pleaded guilty to breaching reg 4(3) of the Work at Height Regulations. It was fined £350,000 and ordered to pay £6,190 in costs.
Advanced Roofing was handed a £29,300 fine plus £6,188 costs after it admitted breaching reg 4(3) of the same regulations.
JKW Roofing, which pleaded guilty to the same breach, was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £6,160 in costs.
HSE inspector Gabriella Dimitrov said: "If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the life-changing injuries sustained by Mr Whitham could have been prevented."

You may also be interested in...

Nottingham Crown Court | Image credit: © Stephen Richards (cc-by-sa/2.0)

 Property firm and director fined over death of inexperienced tree feller

Tuesday 30th July 2019
A real estate developer and its director have been fined after an untrained worker was fatally injured when he fell from a tree while carrying out a “specialist task”.
Open-access content

 Teenage bricklayer fell 2.62 m through unprotected stairway opening

Friday 26th July 2019
A construction company that failed to install edge protection around a stairway has been fined after a junior bricklayer fell 2.62 m through the opening.
Open-access content
The excavator at the Straford site

 Clancy Docwra’s £1.1m penalty over fatal excavator attachment strike

Thursday 8th August 2019
Construction giant Clancy Docwra has been fined £1m after a site operative on its Docklands Light Railway site in Stratford, East London was fatally struck by an excavator mounted vibrator (EMV).
Open-access content
Image credit: HSE

 Construction firm sentenced over multiple safety failings on site

Monday 12th August 2019
A building firm has been handed a £35,000 fine after it exposed workers to multiple safety risks for two-a-half-years.
Open-access content
Image credit: Shutterstock

 Property firm fined £1.3m after pedestrian fatally hit by tank cover during storm

Friday 12th July 2019
A property management firm has been fined £1.3m after a woman was fatally struck by a large wooden panel that blew off a redundant water tank during a storm in 2017. 
Open-access content

 Construction firm fined for exposing family to carbon monoxide risk

Wednesday 21st August 2019
A building company has been fined £16,000 after unsafe work around a domestic boiler led to a gas escape. The firm’s director has also been prosecuted.
Open-access content
Topics
Safe systems of work
Work at height
Construction
News
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Health and Safety Improvement Manager

Leeds
£35000 - £50000 per annum
Reference
5452992

SHEQ Systems Advisor

Up to £40000.00 per annum + Car Allowance
Reference
5452988

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ