British Grand Prix accommodation provider fined £140,000 for safety failures after builder dies from fall through roof at Silverstone site

An accommodation provider and its former managing director has been fined thousands of pounds after a contractor working on their rented Silverstone site fell through a roof and died from his injuries.

Snoozebox is a company that was responsible for providing temporary accommodation in Silverstone ahead of the 2016 British Grand Prix.

The company rented two barns at Primrose Hill Farm - one of which was being used as a dining facility and required repairs because it had a leaky roof and it was suspected to be made of asbestos.

On August 20 2016, 28-year-old building contractor Lucian Petraru fell through that roof whilst making repairs, sustaining a severe head injury. He died from pneumonia and sepsis five days later.

Around the time of the incident, Snoozebox was experiencing financial difficulties and had recruited brothers, Gaurav Mohindra and Gautam Mohindra, as managing directors in a bid to turn the company around and cut costs.

Gaurav Mohindra hired Mr Petraru to make the barn repairs because he had done “handyman” work for Mohindra in the past, Northampton Crown Court heard on Wednesday, July 5. He did so without seeing any documentation of Mr Petraru’s expertise, experience or competence to carry out the work.

A different contractor had quoted Snoozebox £5,000 to complete the repairs. Mr Petraru quoted Mohindra £200 to carry out those same repairs.

The court heard that Mohindra had not been included in the correspondence with the other contractor but her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane said this was a “failure” by the company to ensure that relevant communication was made to all management.

Mohindra claimed that he believed Mr Petraru was only carrying out an assessment of the repairs needed to the barn roof. Both he and Mr Petraru were part of a WhatsApp group set up to detail the work that needed to be done, which included repair to the barn roof and photos illustrating this, the court heard.

Judge Crane said: “There was a failure to carry out even the most basic checks to ensure that either no work at height was being carried out or, if it was, that the appropriate safety procedures were in place.”

She added that text messages sent by Mohindra showed a “clear desire” to keep costs low, including one that asked Mr Petraru to make sure he wears personal protective equipment (PPE).

When Mr Petraru and another contractor went up onto the faulty barn roof for the first time - breaching health and safety regulations - Snoozebox staff told them to come down but did not remove them from the site.

The court heard that Mr Petraru went onto the roof for a second time that day without safety equipment. It was accepted by the Health and Safety Executive that, after the first breach, the contractors were acting without instruction and neither Snoozebox or Mahindra were liable for his actions from that point onwards.

On August 20 2016, Mr Petraru went onto the 4.6m tall roof again with no other staff onsite. An overturned table covered in blood was discovered in the barn later that day with the jet washer Mr Petraru had been using still running.

Mr Petraru was found in one of Snoozebox’s accommodation pods with severe injuries that proved to be fatal just five days later.

Mr Watson KC, defending Snoozebox, said the company had a previously unblemished record and took swift steps when unsafe work was identified. He said that they have good health and safety procedures in place.

Mr Matthews, defending Gaurav Mohindra, said: “He has been genuinely tormented by the loss of Lucian Petraru’s life since 2016. That isn't because of the threat of prosecution hanging over his head. There was no threat of prosecution until very recently but the delay in this process exacerbated that torment.”

The court heard that Mohindra has “no desire” to do this type of work anymore and “actively avoids it.” He previously owned a number of small family companies but now owns one, which brings in an income of £10,000 a month.

Mohindra is of previously good character and is the primary carer for his parents, the court heard.

Mr Matthews said it was “unusual” in health and safety cases for Mohindra not to be interviewed by the prosecution inspector, never invited to make his own representations or notified that a case was being prosecuted.

Judge Crane did not accept this because Mohindra initially pleaded not guilty to failing to ensure that persons not in his employment were not exposed to health and safety risks. He changed his plea to guilty at the end of the prosecution’s case.

Sentencing, Judge Crane said: “This was work for a barn roof over four metres tall. The very poor condition of the roof was known. Any work without PPE was going to create a high risk when carrying out an assessment and even if it was short duration.”

She added: “There was willful blindness to the risks and they nevertheless went on to be taken.”

Snoozebox was ordered to pay a £140,000 fine in addition to £26,332 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to contravening a health and safety regulation.

Mohindra, of Wentworth Avenue, Finchley, London, was given a 12 month community order and instructed to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay £15,774 in prosecution costs.