Company fined after worker dies at Dudley site
A company and its operations manager have been fined following the death of a worker who fell through a fragile roof while dismantling machinery at a site in Dudley.
Maciej Rozanski, 42, was working at Surface Technik’s (Old Hill) Sovereign Works site on Deepdale Lane on 29 June 2018 when he stepped onto a fragile roof and fell over 20 feet to the floor below. He suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surface Technik (Old Hill), now in liquidation, was found guilty of breaching health and safety laws following a trial, while Robert Hammond, who led the project, had already pleaded guilty.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment for the work.
The dismantling project, which began in December 2017, involved removing a steel cleaning machine housed in a corrugated steel tower.
HSE inspectors found the work was carried out near a fragile roof without proper planning, supervision, or safety measures, and the workers were not trained to work at that height.
HSE inspector Sarah Smewin said: “Working from height remains a leading cause of workplace death and injury. This case highlights the risks of working at height from or near fragile roof surfaces and the importance of a risk assessment, proper planning, training and supervision of work at height and the use of suitable access equipment to ensure that the work can be carried out safely. It also demonstrates that placing a company into liquidation is no bar to prosecution.”
Surface Technik (Old Hill) was fined £90,000 and ordered to pay £28,956 in costs at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court on 21 March 2025.
Hammond, of Sutton Coldfield, was fined £8,500 and ordered to pay the same amount in costs.
