Company overhauls health and safety after fatal fall

The parents of a house painter who fell to his death while on a job have welcomed changes to the health and safety practices at his former firm.

Raymond Jessop was painting a house in Hull when he fell 14 feet from an unsecured ladder in December 2009. The 53-year-old suffered massive head injuries from which he did not recover.

He was working for Kier Building Maintenance at the time, which is responsible for the upkeep of council properties in the Park and Riverside areas of Hull. During the inquest into Mr Jessop's death this week, the company made assurances that it has completely reviewed its policies and procedures for working at height.

Health and safety advisor for Kier, Mark Spotswood, said ladders were only now used as "a last resort".

"We have altered some of our procedures since," he told the inquest. "We totally re-looked at working at heights so that it is only undertaken by trained members of the work at heights team."

On the day of his death Mr Jessop was not wearing a safety harness and his ladder was not securely fixed. A colleague said harnesses were equipped, but the workers felt that falling with a harness attached would leave them unable to jump free, and they would take them off.

His parents, Raymond and Jessie Jessop said: "We welcome the changes to operating practices implemented by Kier in the hope they will save other families from the grief we have experienced through Ray’s loss."