A HUNGARIAN builder who had worked on a Northallerton farm for seven years fell to his death after attempting to undertake roof repairs alone.

A jury inquest at County Hall in Northallerton heard that Jozsef Pinter, born on June 5 1949 in Hungary, had been working and living on-site at Low Sober Farm in Warlaby, near Northallerton, when on May 31 this year he suffered a fractured skull and non-survivable brain injuries.

Mr Pinter was working on the farm belonging to Timothy Wilson, who said the worker was extremely diligent and did not normally attempt to do jobs on his own without having being asked to do so.

On May 31, Mr Wilson left the farm for the day having asked Mr Pinter to clear thistles from the perimeter of the farm, something he said should have lasted him more than one day.

But Mr Pinter took it upon himself to repair a broken sky-light in one of the farm outbuildings that was being occupied by local tree surgeon Richard Allinson.

Mr Wilson told the inquest that although Mr Pinter had poor English speaking skills, he was able to understand what was required of a job and was a “master builder.”

He said: “We had gone to inspect the sky-light together not long after it had been broken and we discussed how it might be fixed.

“It would be a two-man job and we agreed it would be done after another job on the farm using a scaffolding tower was completed.”

But Mr Pinter took a ladder from the shed and used it to climb on the roof and replace the broken Perspex sheeting with new, and fell through onto the concrete floor below.

Julian Franklin from the Health and Safety Executive said it was a common occurrence to fall through fragile roofs in this way.

He said: “The job would have been safer with two people. It is a risk going up onto a roof like this one that is between 30 and 50 years old and containing asbestos.”

Mr Wilson said there had previously been warning signs on an adjacent building about the fragile roof but one had come off.

The jury recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.