The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers to take extra care to ensure that the risk of falls in the workplace is minimised, particularly for businesses which see staff working at heights.
It was revealed that the warning comes after a farm worker fell almost five metres through the roof of a building he was working on and sustained serious injuries.
Francis Caley, of Manor Farm on Sproatley Road, Hull was fined under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after pleading guilty over the incident last year which saw Charles Leslie Nendick fracturing his spine, pelvis and hip.
He was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £1,858 costs at Hull and Holderness Magistrates Court.
HSE inspector Alan Sheldon said: "The hazards and risks of working on roofs are well documented. HSE has produced a lot of guidance over many years."
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recently released guidance for employers for the early management of non-specific and persistent lower back pain.
