A BLACKBURN firm has been fined after staff were discovered working unsafely on a primary school roof.

An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was passing Clayton-le-Woods Primary School, near Chorley, when he spotted four men from Hall Isherwood Ltd working on the roof.

No scaffolding, or other safety equipment, had been installed, despite one of the men working at the edge of the roof next to a 15ft drop.

The inspector immediately served a prohibition notice ordering the men to come down from the roof until safety measures were put in place.

The HSE prosecuted Hall Isherwood Ltd, the company responsible for overseeing the work, for two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 following the incident, on January 31.

South Ribble Magistrates’ Court, in Leyland, heard that the company had been hired to carry out work at the school, in Back Lane, Clayton-le-Woods, which included painting work, and replacing slates on one side of a sloping roof.

The only access to the roof was by using a ladder, which had not been secured to stop it slipping.

Once the workers were on the roof, there were no guard rails, or scaffolding, in place to stop them from falling.

Hall Isherwood Ltd, of Wensley Road, in Blackburn, was fined £750, and ordered to pay £1,581 in prosecution costs after admitting both safety offences.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Anthony Polec said: “This was a large project taking place over several days.

“Scaffolding, or other safety equipment, should therefore have been used to ensure the work could be carried out safely.

“As the principal contractor on the site, Hall Isherwood was responsible for making sure lives weren’t put at risk. However, it allowed the workers to use an unstable ladder to reach the roof, and there were no safety measures in place once they were on top of the building.”