Rotten scaffolding boards on a mobile access tower gave way when James Baillie, 53, stepped on them while repairing a roof. He fell nearly 6m, sustaining injuries that killed him.

The boards had brown rot decay, Hamilton Sheriff Court heard when Glasgow scaffoliding firm Extra Access Ltd appeared before it on 31 July. The firm pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £40,000.

The incident occured on 23 September 2011 when James Baillie was working on the roof of a two storey domestic property in Thorntonhall, South Lanarkshire. He died from his injures the day after the incident.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Graeme McMinn said: “The company failed to provide safe and suitable working equipment for their customer and his workers.

"There is no excuse for allowing the use at work of mobile access tower components that were in such a poor condition. The scaffolding industry is well aware of the risks involved in this type of work.

“Mr Baillie’s tragic death could have been avoided if Extra Access Ltd had ensured the scaffold tower deck was properly inspected and maintained or otherwise taken out of service.”

More information on working safely at height can be found here.