A DOUBLE glazing company has been fined after a worker fell from a garage roof and suffered serious injuries.

An employee of Rock Home Improvements Limited, Bury, fractured his cheek bone, eye socket, ribs and left arms, and suffered a collapsed lung as a result of the incident.

Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on May 11, 2015, an employee was working on the roof when he fell 3.4 metres onto the driveway of an adjacent property.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the window supplier firm, of Longsight Road, Ramsbottom, did not report the incident within the required timeframe, as it is legally obliged to do, and instead waited nine months which prevented a proper investigation.

Rock Home Improvements pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 (1) a of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) which states: "Where any person at work, as a result of a work-related accident, suffers any bone fracture diagnosed by a registered medical practitioner, other than to a finger, thumb or toe; the responsible person must follow the reporting procedure."

HSE guidelines state that a report must be received within 10 days of an incident, or within 15 days for accidents resulting in the more than seven-day incapacitation of a worker.

The Bury firm has been fined £2,700 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000.

The HSE — Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety — said the incident could have been avoided if safe working practices had been in place.

HSE inspector Seve Gomez-Aspron said: "This incident could so easily have been avoided had the company simply carried out correct control measures and safe working practices.

"Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take out appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards."