The inspector was told the site manager for main contractor T Richard Jones (Betws) was on holiday as a tour of the job revealed a safety horror-show at St Michael’s Church in Swansea last summer.

Washing facilities were found to be inadequate and workers were found not to be wearing protective glasses or gloves despite using lime mortar.

Two employees were also working at height without any measures in place to prevent falls.

T Richard Jones (Betws) Ltd of Foundry Road, Ammanford, pleaded guilty to safety breaches at Swanse Magistrates’ Court yesterday and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,658.

HSE inspector Phil Nicolle said: “This company put the safety of its own workforce at risk by failing to ensure the site was managed by a competent person, and the catalogue of failings suggested a lack of regard for workers’ health, safety or welfare.

“Construction companies have a duty to ensure that their sites are operated in a safe way. Putting these matters right was neither expensive nor technically difficult.”