Rubb Buildings admitted it failed to ensure safety of employee Steven Watson

Gateshead firm Rubb Buildings has been fined £100,000 after an employee fell to his death at Bristol International Airport.

Steven Watson, 30, from Tyne and Wear, fell about 30 feet and died from internal injuries in December 2006. He was dismantling a disused hangar at the airport when he fell through a PVC tarpaulin roof that he had previously cut away.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought a prosecution against Rubb Buildings, which admitted it had failed to ensure the safety of its employee. The firm was ordered to pay the fine and £49,000 in costs at Bristol Crown Court.

Steve Frain, inspector for the HSE, said: "Steven Watson should have been properly protected by Rubb Buildings, instead he lost his life. The company failed in its duty to ensure there was a properly planned and supervised means of working - there should have been no need to work directly on the roof.”

Rubb Buildings declined to comment.

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