THE wife of a workman who died after he fell through a factory roof says nothing will make up for her loss.
Kevin Jackson, 53, plummeted 27ft to his death while working at Garthwest Ltd in the Sutton Fields Industrial Estate in Hull.
Hull Crown Court heard Mr Jackson has been employed by Kingswood firm Cavill Property Maintenance to clean the roof but safety measures had not been put in place.
Cavill Property Maintenance was fined £65,000, director Shaun Cavill was fined £25,000 and Garthwest Ltd was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £38,643 court costs, after admitting health and safety breaches.
In a statement issued through her lawyer Andrew McGowan, Mr Jackson's wife Carol said: "We are very relieved that after three years there has finally been an acceptance by the parties involved that they failed to look after Kevin's welfare and ensure that he could work safely.
"However, no amount of legal proceedings will make up for the loss of Kevin, a wonderful husband, father and man universally liked and respected."
Father-of-five Mr Jackson was on the roof working when his colleague heard a crash.
He turned to see Mr Jackson fall through a fragile factory skylight onto concrete more than eight metres below.
He suffered multiple injuries, including several fractures of his skull, 15 broken ribs and severe damage to his lungs. Mr Jackson died in hospital later that day on October 29, 2009.
The court heard debris was also covering fragile skylights, preventing workmen from knowing where it was safe to stand.
Just two days before Mr Jackson's death, a colleague had a near miss when he slipped on the same roof.
Judge Mettyear criticised the companies involved, saying Cavill Property Maintenance should never have taken on the job.
He said: "It is sufficient to say the work was far beyond the competence of Cavill Property Maintenance and it should never have agreed to undertake such work.
"No effective safety measures were taken by the company and no proper safety plan was in place.
"The result was those working on the roof were effectively left to their own devices and expected to simply use their common sense.
"The attitude was wholly unsatisfactory and unacceptable. It must have been perfectly obvious that the work carried out was dangerous.
"Garthwest closed its eyes to the obvious and failed to follow its own procedures."
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served a Prohibition Notice on both companies after the accident, preventing any further work at height on the site.
HSE inspector Mark Welsh said: "All three parties in this case have contributed to the tragic loss of life of a loving husband, father and grandfather.
"It was wholly preventable if obvious and sensible controls and safeguards had been put in place.
"Unsafe work at height on fragile roofs is a regular occurrence within many industries and is a major cause of death and serious injury."
