A construction firm has been slapped with a £200,000 fine after an "adoring grandfather" tragically died falling through a hole left in his bathroom floor.
The company, Cooper and Westgate, was carrying out a conversion of Kenneth Armitage's bathroom into a wet room but failed to guard the gaping hole properly. Tragically, 81-year-old Kenneth plummeted through the opening, landing in his kitchen below, where he was later discovered dead by his son-in-law at his York home on February 9, 2019.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that Cooper and Westgate did not secure the hole adequately due to their workers' lack of proper training. Further findings indicated that the firm had neglected to conduct a thorough risk assessment or create a method statement for the work being done.
Kenneth's daughter Suzy paid tribute to her father, calling him "fantastic" and expressing her ongoing struggle to accept the heartbreaking loss. She shared: "Our dad, who was sadly taken away from us, was everything to us. He was the kindest person you could ever meet."
"He was a fantastic dad to me, my brother and a loving grandad to all our children. I can't believe he has gone, I keep thinking it's a horrible nightmare and I will wake up and he'll be there. Our hearts were broken that day and may never heal. It should have never happened. We are all still struggling to come to terms with losing him."
The Wakefield-based building firm has been hit with a hefty fine after being found guilty of flouting health and safety laws that resulted in the harrowing incident. Convicted of breaches under Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the company faced justice at Leeds Magistrates' Court, where they were ordered to fork out £150,000 and cover additional costs of £50,000.
Yolande Burns-Sleightholme from the HSE said: "Employers need to fully assess and control the risks from work at height, caused by creating holes in domestic properties and recognise the importance of securing them effectively. They should then pass this knowledge on to their employees through suitable training and guidance."
"This incident could so easily have been avoided had Cooper & Westgate properly assessed the risks, put in place safe working practices and provided the correct training to its employees."
