A food production company has been prosecuted after workers were photographed carrying out unsafe work at height.

Quality Food Products (Aberdeen) Ltd of West Tullos Industrial Estate, Aberdeen, has been fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that on three separate occasions in 2016, a company director carried out work at when there were no suitable or sufficient measures in place to prevent him, nor the employees who were assisting him, falling a distance likely to cause personal injury.

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An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that on one occasion, the director and an employee accessed the roof by standing on the prongs of a fork lift truck which had a wooden pallet attached to it. During the course of the works, the pair were seen tossing waste materials to the ground. Two further incidents related to works carried out primarily by the director with brief assistance from an employee.

HSE was alerted after concerned witnesses took photographs of the illegal activities.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Connor Gibson said: "Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.

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

(LM/MH)