A construction firm and its director have been fined for risking lives with unsafe roof work in London.
B&O Developers Ltd and Sanjay Swaminarayan were penalised following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
This action came after public concerns were raised about unsafe practices during extension and refurbishment of what is now the Kings Cross Express Inn on Kings Cross Road.
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In January 2024, photos were sent to the HSE showing workers on a roof without safety measures like edge protection. There was no safe means of access to the roof, with operatives photographed standing on a makeshift platform balanced on a stepladder.
The HSE investigation discovered there were no measures to prevent workers from falling on at least two separate occasions.
Measures which had been identified in the roofing subcontractor’s risk assessment as necessary controls, including scaffolding around the roof, were not in place. The project, which ran from October 2020 until March 2024, was initially managed by Hubb Construction Ltd.
In March 2023, the principal contractor switched to B&O Developers Ltd, with Mr Swaminarayan remaining as the sole director.
HSE inspectors addressed several concerns from the public between November 2021 and September 2023, taking enforcement action against both companies.
Despite these interventions, further unsafe work was reported in January 2024.
Falls from height are the leading cause of workplace death and injury, accounting for over a quarter of all work-related deaths in 2025/26. HSE guidance specifies that roof work must, at a minimum, have safe access and a safe working place on the roof.
B&O Developers Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and was fined £4,020 and a surcharge of £1,608.
Mr Swaminarayan pleaded guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and was fined £2,300, a surcharge of £1,108, and ordered to pay costs of £8,000.
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