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A farmer in Cheshire has been fined £16,000 after a roofer tragically fell to his death while attempting to repair a packing shed at his farm in Tarporley. Denis Thornhill, 78, and his company, DS Thornhill (Rushton) Ltd, were found guilty of breaching health and safety regulations following a six-week trial at Chester Crown Court.
The incident took place on 1 February 2021, when 64-year-old roofer Mark Young fell from a makeshift platform while working on the roof at Moss Hall Farm. Mr. Young had been called to fix a roof panel and a blocked gutter, but unfortunately, a tragic accident occurred when he fell from the makeshift platform provided by Mr. Thornhill.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Ian Betley described the incident as “tragic” and emphasized that it could have been easily prevented. He highlighted that the forklift truck and potato box provided were not suitable for working at height and that proper equipment such as a tower scaffold, scissor lift, or cherry picker should have been used instead.
A joint investigation by Cheshire Constabulary and the HSE found that there was no safe system of work in place on the day of the accident, and the forklift truck had not been properly examined. Additionally, Mr. Thornhill did not have formal training in operating the forklift. As a result, a prohibition notice was issued to halt further unsafe work until proper safety measures were implemented.
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Maria Sanchez completed her Bachelor’s degree in Plant Sciences from the University of California, Davis, in the USA. Her studies focused on plant genetics and biotechnology, with an emphasis on developing disease-resistant crop varieties. Maria has contributed to several research projects aimed at improving crop resilience to climate change and is now pursuing her Master’s degree in Plant Breeding.
