The roofer injured his back despite falling onto a section of foam on a conveyor belt below.

The injured man was repairing a leaking roof at Recticel Ltd in Alfreton on 28 January 2009. He had fixed the leak and was walking back down the roof when he fell through a fragile roof light.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found Recticel had failed to properly plan the work and consider the risks from fragile surfaces.

The worker fell approximately four metres onto a section of foam on a conveyor belt below, and then onto the floor. He suffered tissue damage and was off work for six weeks. The incident has left him with residual pain and stiffness.

HSE inspector Noelle Walker said: “Work at height remains one of the biggest causes of injury in the workplace.

“The work had not been properly planned by Recticel and the company failed to take into account the risk posed by the roof light.

“Proper planning is as important for small short-term roof repairs as it is for larger jobs and in this case it would have prevented a worker being injured.”

Recticel Ltd was fined a total of £13,000 and £5,098 costs.