News
Suspended prison sentence for farmer after worker dies from roof fall
Philip Tickner was sentenced with a six-month custodial sentence – suspended for 18 Months – for failing to put in place measures that could have prevented the death of a contract worker, Philip France, at Tickner Bros farm.
Winchester Crown Court heard how the self-employed labourer had been dismantling a cow shed with two other workers on 7 June 2021 under the supervision of Tickner when the incident occurred.
France fell through a rooflight, landing on the concrete floor below. He died from his injuries less than a week later on 13 June 2021.
Working at height
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Hampshire Constabulary found Tickner failed to put arrangements in place to either avoid working at height, prevent a fall or mitigate the consequences of a fall.
They also found that none of the team of workers were competent enough to work at height, as they lacked the understanding of the risks and the associated controls to manage the risks while working at height.
Further, France had been removing bolt heads from the roof panels with his two colleagues who were walking along the roof with the removed panels, before loading them onto a telehandler. His colleagues largely continued this working practice the day after the 57-year-old fell.
Suspended sentence
Philip Tickner, of Upper Lanham, Old Alresford, Alresford, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was handed a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 Months, and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs at Winchester Crown Court on 18 October 2024.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Nicola Pinckney said: “This was a tragic incident that could so easily have been avoided. Readily available work at height equipment, and well-known safe systems of work could have been created and implemented, using workers who were trained and competent to work at height, none of which happened in this case.
“I hope this case serves as an example and a reminder to others in the industry of the deadly risks they often undertake and how they should be approached.”
Meanwhile, a farmer has been cleared of manslaughter but fined after a worker was killed on his farm in Cheshire while attempting to repair the roof of a packing shed.
