£120k fine for company as worker breaks leg in fall

A solar energy company has been fined £120,000 after an incident in Salisbury where an employee broke his leg.

The employee (23) of EE Renewables Limited had been working on the roof of a house on Sherfield English Road. The company had been hired by the homeowner to move nine solar panels higher up on the roof.

The man was adjusting a solar panel when he slid and fell four metres to the ground below. The impact broke his femur bone.

Investigating the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found EE Renewables Limited had not properly planned the work at height and failed to take suitable steps to prevent a fall.

EE Renewables Limited, of Salterns Lane, Fareham, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £120,000 and ordered to pay £4,716 in costs at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 23 December 2024.

HSE Inspector Sam Applebee commented on the case:

“EE Renewables Limited 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.”

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