A Fareham-based company has been fined £120,000 after a worker broke his leg while adjusting a solar panel on a house in Salisbury.
The incident occurred on 16 December 2022, when a 23-year-old employee of EE Renewables Ltd fell approximately four metres from the roof of a home.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the man had been adjusting a solar panel when he slid off the roof and landed on the ground below, resulting in a fractured femur.
EE Renewables had been employed by the homeowner to move nine solar panels higher up on the roof.
The HSE investigation concluded that the company failed to adequately plan the task or implement measures to prevent a fall.
The work involved repositioning nine solar panels further up the roof at the homeowner’s request, but the HSE found no evidence of appropriate safeguards, such as edge protection, being in place to prevent a fall.
At a hearing at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 23 December, EE Renewables Ltd admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The court imposed a fine of £120,000 and directed the company to pay £4,716 in costs.
HSE inspector Sam Applebee said: “EE Renewables Ltd did not properly plan this work so it could be carried out in a safe manner. There were inadequate means of protecting the workers from falling off the roof, with the company failing to provide edge protection.
“Working at height remains one of the biggest causes of injuries and fatalities in Britain, so it is important that companies ensure they implement the correct control measures and safe working practices.”
