A gas flue and chimney company has pleaded guilty to three health and safety offences after a plumber broke his back in a seven-metre fall.

A gas flue and chimney company has pleaded guilty to three health and safety offences in a prosecution brought by the Health

The court heard that the worker was on the roof and just about to install a flue liner down the inside of the chimney. He had put up a roof ladder and stepped onto it when it gave way, sending him falling to the ground below. He did not know there was a dormer extension on the other side of the roof so the roof ladder had failed to hook over the ridge properly.

The HSE investigation showed the company failed to assess the risks properly before the work started, to find out there was a dormer window on the rear of the roof, to ensure workers were provided with the correct equipment for the job and to take suitable measures to make sure workers were not exposed to risks to their safety.

Fluetech – based at Drakes Industrial Estate, Halifax – was ordered to pay £17,373 in fines and costs by Leeds Magistrates' Court.