Man spared jail for unsafe work on own home

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted a thorough investigation following a site visit to a property where a man was carrying out unsafe work on his home in Manchester. The HSE served enforcement notices to put work to an immediate stop in August 2020.

During their initial visit, the Health and Safety Executive found that Abdul Rehman had engaged operatives to help him build an extension to the property on Kings Crescent in Old Trafford. At the property there was an extremely unsafe scaffold, which was subsequently dismantled.

A year later, in November 2021, the HSE found that Mr Rehman was once again carrying out work on his property and instructing operatives to re-roof the property without any form of fixed-scaffold or equally effective measures to prevent the risk of a fall from height.

The HSE inspector issued a prohibition notice to prevent the unsafe work from continuing, but Mr Rehman broke the prohibition notice and continued to conduct, instruct and supervise work for several weeks. Work was regularly conducted during the hours of darkness putting workers at even more risk.

At a hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 18 June 2024, Mr Rehman plead guilty to breaching regulations 4(1) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and section 33 1(g) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. He was given a custodial sentence of 12 months, but this was suspended for 18 months. During that time he must also complete 180 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £6,450 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Phil Redman said: “This was a serious breach of the law, and it is fortunate nobody was seriously injured or killed as a result of Mr Rehman choosing to ignore the repeated requests of the inspector to provide a safe means for work from height.

“The case highlights the importance of following industry guidance by ensuring a suitable and sufficient safe scaffold was provided by a competent contractor.”