A SCAFFOLDING company was yesterday fined £7,000 over the death of an experienced safety worker.

Terence Fagan, 47, of Hawthorn Terrace, Dunston, Gateshead, fell to his death while overseeing the building of scaffolding at Thornley waste disposal site, at Shotton Colliery, in November 2001.

Durham magistrates were told that Mr Fagan, who was married with two children, worked his way up to management status at SGB Services Limited's North Tyneside depot.

The company was contracted to put up scaffolding at the site where a new "waste digester" was to be dropped in through the roof of a building.

As the work was behind schedule, pressure was being put on the company to get the job done, so Mr Fagan was helping with the installation of the scaffolding.

Martin Smith, prosecuting, said Mr Fagan stepped off a wooden board to reach for a piece of scaffolding, but his weight took him through a fragile plastic roof light.

Although he was wearing a harness, it failed to save him and he died after falling ten metres on to a concrete floor.

Mr Smith said it was not clear if Mr Fagan failed to spot he was stepping on to a roof light, or stumbled. "The entire roof should have been effectively covered and fenced off, which is the only appropriate precaution for a job of this nature," he said.

SGB Services, of Leatherhead, Surrey, admitted three charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive.

Toby Stewart, for SGB, said: "It's deeply regretted by the company. He was an experienced and valued employee.

"Mr Fagan was trusted as a reliable employee and it was his responsibility to carry out and put in place safety aspects of the job."

Mr Stewart said SGB had won awards for safety and had strict rules in place with regular update briefings for staff, which Mr Fagan was about to undergo at the time of his death.

The company was also ordered to pay £2,447 costs.