As health and safety consultants we often try to point out the dangers involved in working in construction.  Falls from height are one of the most common forms of injuries and deaths, and yet there are still construction firms who fail their employees by breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Accidents of this type will always result in the firm being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.  They are avoidable incidents which ruin lives and could be prevented if companies follow the laws and regulations which are in place.

Scaffolder Seriously Injured in fall from height

A London property development company were recently taken to court after one of their workers fell five meters from scaffolding.  The 46 year old migrant employee fell when he was working in Hackney.  As a result of his accident he suffered injuries to his head, spine and pelvis.  His injuries were life threatening, and now he is left being able to walk only with extreme difficulty.

His employees, Nabiganj Investment Company, were investigated by the Health and Safety Executive who discovered that they had failed the worker simply because they had not implemented several measures which could have prevented the accident.

Asbestos Found at the Scene

In addition to the fall the inspectors also discovered that there was asbestos in the debris at the site.  They found that there had been no asbestos survey and that at least six other workers had been working in demolishing the floors of the building and had potentially been exposed to the asbestos.

Asbestos surveys are also a vital precaution to take and are demanded by law as asbestos is a known killer. A survey can be carried out through Health and Safety Consultants such as Veritas Consultants.

Fines for Company for Multiple Breaches

The London firm were taken to the City of London Magistrates Court where they pleading guilty for breaching several sections of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.  As a result of their irresponsible failings they were fined £37,500 and ordered to pay £5,459.90 in costs.

The London court was also informed that the firm had been dealt with by the HSE on a few occasions.  They had enforcement actions which were related to some of their other sites.  These included Improvement Notices as they failed to comply with their client duties as stated in the Construction Design and Management Regulations and a couple of Prohibition Notices concerning working at height.

The experienced property development firm continually avoided their responsibilities.  The workers had little knowledge of the English language and the firm had put them at risk which left one of the workers with terrible injuries which he will have to live with.

Construction Safety

Veritas offers numerous health and safety services including multiple services aimed purely towards the high risk construction industry. Asbestos surveys help you to comply with the law as it is your legal duty to manage the risks involved with exposure to asbestos. For further information on all the health and safety services offered by Veritas Consulting call 0800 1488 677 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0800 1488 677 end_of_the_skype_highlighting today.