Builder fined after sacks of rubble thrown from building window

A Coalville construction firm working in Leicester has been sentenced after workers were spotted throwing sacks of rubble from a building project opposite a police station.
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Police officers called the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as debris was being launched out of a fifth floor window to a flat roof several metres below. They also saw unsafe working at open edges with no fall protection.

HSE inspectors arrived at the site on 2 October 2014 and witnessed the activity first hand, and after investigating prosecuted the firm.

J A Ball Ltd. was contracted to carry out work to refurbish former office space into flats at Allied Place, 44 Abbey Street, Leicester.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court was told company director Adam Ball decided soft stripping work should begin and walked the site with a worker who was not a site manager while issuing instructions.

The court heard Ball had not ensured a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey had been carried out on the site before work commenced. No paperwork was given to the worker regarding the methods to be used to carry out this work.

No risk assessments or site paperwork was given to Ball’s employee and no site file existed. There was a substantial amount of waste generated and placed into the rubble bags. These were initially taken down the stairs to the flat roof and then dragged across the flat roof and thrown over the edge into the skip at ground level.

The flat roof had a number of unprotected fragile roof lights across it and there was no edge protection on the flat roof. Mr Ball’s employees then decided it would quicker to simply throw the rubble bags out of the window while they were working on the fifth floor. So while standing on the window sill of an open window bags were thrown to the flat roof before being dragged to skip.

HSE told the court that Adam Ball had arranged for work to begin on a site without ensuring that the proper procedures had been followed, and that all workers had been given adequate information. He also made incorrect assumptions about his employee being competent to manage this project.

J A Ball Ltd, of Property Court, Telford Way, Stephenson Industrial Estate, Coalville admitted breaching of Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £13,000 with £1182.00 costs.

HSE inspector Sarah Hill said: “‘It’s completely unacceptable for anyone to work at open edges with no fall protection As you can see from the pictures, there was a possibility of a fall, the consequences of which could have led to people being seriously injured or killed. Additionally there were real concerns for public safety from falling materials.

“Work on refurbishment projects needs to be properly planned, and all management procedures put in place before any work activity commences. Work at height is still the biggest cause of fatal accidents in the construction industry and unless the correct controls are in place before work starts, lives will be needlessly put at risk.”

Basement building in London faces safety scrutiny

A two-day inspection initiative of basement projects in high-value London boroughs is to be carried out by the Health and Safety Executive next week. (w/c 9 March).
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Construction inspectors will be focusing on sites in two boroughs – Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham – in a bid to improve safety in the increasingly popular basement sector.

This action follows a number a number of fatal incidents, as well as serious injuries, in the capital in recent years relating to basement projects.

Over the last 10 years, HSE has received reports of 17 construction workers having died as a result of an excavation collapsing, whilst in the same period 27 were seriously injured.

In December 2014, following the death of a labourer in a basement excavation collapse in Fulham, a company director was found guilty of manslaughter offences and jailed.
Example of a poor basement renovation

Inspection teams will be looking at key safety issues including collapsing excavations; risk of building collapse from structural alterations or undermining by excavating; the dangers of handling heavy steel beams; poor access and risks of open or unprotected parts of sites. Other issues such as poor welfare facilities and lack of training can also give rise to HSE action if found.

HSE construction inspector James Hickman, whose team covers south-west London, said: “The construction of basements in London is increasingly widespread. Often it is carried out under existing homes as owners seek to increase their living space without a house move.

“The work is technically challenging and can carry substantial risk. Standards are often poor and often vulnerable sections of the labour market are recruited.

“Contractors are failing to appoint a competent temporary works engineer to design suitable propping to support excavations and existing structures. Likewise, on many projects basic safeguards are missing, such as edge protection to prevent falls from height. And all too often little thought is given to providing proper welfare facilities for site workers.

“Where we find poor practice that is putting lives at risk we will take action, including stopping work and prosecuting those responsible.”

The risks of working in unsupported excavations are well known throughout the industry, as are the precautions required to ensure work is carried out safely. The HSE publication HSG150 ‘Health and safety in construction’ contains advice and guidance on what measures to take in order to ensure excavation works are carried out safely. This document is free to download from the HSE website.

The targeted inspection is part of continuing efforts by HSE to improve health and safety in this sector of the construction industry.

Construction Dust – Industry Survey Report

Over 500 UK construction workers a year die from lung cancer caused by silica, with construction dust also causing other serious lung diseases like asthma, silicosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
A newly-published industry survey conducted jointly by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the Construction Dust Partnership (CDP) has found that workers believe the construction industry needs to do more to face up to the challenge that dust created on the job poses to employees’ health. dust
You can get more information about dust and how to protect your health by visiting The Construction Dust Partnership. For more health and safety advice on silica dust visit HSE’s Concrete Webpages.

Firm fined after worker seriously injured in scaffold fall

An Aberdeen-based building and joinery firm has been sentenced after a worker suffered serious injuries when he fell three metres from scaffolding that he was dismantling.

John William Wilson, then 47 and from Aberdeen, broke his left ankle, damaged the ligaments in his right ankle was knocked unconscious and cut his head. He was in hospital overnight and remained in plaster for six weeks as a result of his injuries.

The specialist Health and Safety Division of COPFS today prosecuted Mr Wilson’s employer, Rae Brown & Company Ltd, for health and safety breaches.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that on 24 July 2012 Mr Wilson was asked by Rae Brown & Company to move the scaffolding and take it to another site. He and a colleague, an apprentice, arrived at the farmhouse owned by the partner of one of the company’s directors where two scaffolding towers had been erected.

The towers had been erected in a narrow space between the farmhouse and a garden wall so that general maintenance work could be carried out.

As Mr Wilson dismantled the structure he removed some elements which left the poles unstable. As the poles moved, the metal board he was standing on moved and fell, taking Mr Wilson with it.

An HSE investigation found that neither Mr Wilson nor the apprentice working alongside him had received any formal training in the use of the type of scaffolding they were asked to work with.

Rae Brown & Company Limited, of Rose Street in Aberdeen, was fined £4,000 after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulations 4 and 8 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Liz Hunter said:

“The risks from falls at height are well known in the construction industry. Erecting and dismantling scaffolds should only be done by trained and skilled persons or under the supervision of such a person because you cannot entirely eliminate the risk of falls.

“No such training or supervision was provided by Rae Brown and Company to Mr Wilson and his apprentice. They should never have been allowed to dismantle scaffolding that had been left unsecured and unsupported in this way.

“The correct method would have used competent erectors following the instructions in the scaffold manual, including safe ladder access and removal of components from below whilst working from a complete platform. The scaffold should have been erected on level ground that was free from debris and other trip hazards.

“As a result of the company’s failings, Mr Wilson sustained injuries that left him unable to work for 11 weeks and it was pure luck that the apprentice was not seriously hurt too.”

Falls from height are the biggest single cause of workplace deaths in the construction industry. Information on improving safety is available at HSE Health and Safety in the Construction Industry.

Building firm in court over carbon monoxide risk to pregnant woman

A building firm has been fined after an eight-and-half-month pregnant woman and her husband showed signs of carbon monoxide poisoning at their home in Kirkby.

Topflite (North West) Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that the flue for a gas fire had been blocked by rubble during a loft conversion in a neighbouring semi-detached property on Lauder Close.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard that the building work had been carried out by the company, which trades at Topflite Loft Conversions, in the summer of 2013. A few months later, on 31 October 2013, the woman, who does not want to be named, turned on the gas fire in her lounge for the first time that winter.

She spent most of the afternoon and evening in the lounge with her friend, who was also pregnant, and later her husband. The couple went to bed at 11pm but overnight the woman was vomiting and had flu-like symptoms.

She spent the following day in bed and her husband also felt nauseous all day. They suspected they may have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning and contacted a Gas Safe registered company.

The firm found that the flue in the cavity wall between the two properties, which allowed fumes to escape through a vent on the roof, had become blocked by rubble. The company therefore issued a warning notice preventing the use of the fire, and the homeowner alerted HSE.

When an inspector visited the neighbouring property, she found that a steel beam installed in the loft had broken through the flue and caused it to become blocked.

Topflite (North West) Ltd, of Steeley Lane in Chorley, was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,276 in prosecution costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 on 26 February 2015.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Jacqueline Western said:

“A pregnant woman and her husband were put at risk of suffering carbon monoxide poisoning because Topflite allowed a flue to become blocked while carrying out a loft conversion in a neighbouring house.

“It’s vital that builders carefully consider the risks of any work they do in people’s homes, and that includes the impact it could have on attached properties. The work should have been properly planned so that the new steel beam could be installed without affecting the flue.

“Building firms have a legal duty to ensure the lives of both their workers and people affected by their work are not put at risk as a result of their actions. Topflite failed to meet that requirement and found itself in court as a result.”

More information on health and safety in the building industry is available at HSE Health and Safety in the Building Industry

Development failings land multiple defendants in court

Five separate parties have been sentenced for allowing unsafe work practices and poor welfare standards at a construction site in Upper Norwood.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified a catalogue of issues at land belonging to a former church on Chevening Road in October 2012 after receiving complaints from a neighbouring school and a member of the public.

Four flats and four homes were being built at the site by Unicorn Services Limited, run by director Yi Long Chen and principal shareholder Mou Qiang Chen, on behalf of Chalice Homes Limited, run by sole director Steven Mooney.

All five appeared at Southwark Crown Court yesterday (9 February) after admitting breaching safety legislation and placing workers at unnecessary risk from injury or illness.

The court heard that failings at the site included:

A mini digger and dumper, both of which were poorly maintained, were left with the keys in the ignition free for anyone to use – despite the fact no-one at the site was trained or qualified to use them
There was no traffic management system, with nothing in place to segregate people from moving machinery – a failing exaggerated by the fact the site was next to a junior school
A raised storage area above a rest room was exposed and unguarded – meaning heavy items could have fallen onto workers below, as could anyone who accessed the area
The site manager was unqualified and could not speak English – so he was unable to communicate with site visitors or delivery drivers and provide any necessary safety briefings
There was no hot water, no wash area or washing up facilities, and no heating – with the general hygiene and sanitation standards described as wholly inadequate
There were no safety records or method statements for any work activity

The court was told that the Chens and Mr Mooney were well known to HSE after serious safety concerns were also noted at another construction site under their control.

In September 2011 HSE served eight Prohibition Notices to stop dangerous work at a site in nearby Sylvan Hill. It resulted in Unicorn Services being prosecuted and Mr Mooney, then the director of another standalone company set up for the development in question, receiving a written warning.

HSE told the court that despite this intervention, the poor safety and welfare standards at Chevening Road proved little had changed, and that it was indicative of a blasé attitude towards the wellbeing of workers.

Mou Qiang Chen, of Gonville Road, Thornton Heath, was fined a total of £2,000 and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974.

Yi Long Chen, of Oriel Close, Mitcham, was fined £1,000 after pleading to a single Section 37 breach.

Their company, Unicorn Services Limited, was fined a total of £9,000 for two breaches of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM Regs) and a single HSWA breach.

Steven Mooney, of a registered address on Croydon High Street, was fined £11,000 with £5,000 after pleading guilty to the same HSWA breaches as Mr Mou Qiang Chen.

Chalice Homes, which is no longer trading, was fined a nominal £200 for two further CDM Regs breaches.

All five parties accepted their respective charges on the first day of a trial last October after initially pleading not guilty when the case was first heard by Westminster Magistrates.

After sentencing HSE Inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers commented:

“Although nobody was harmed at the development site in question, the risks were clear – as evidenced by the fact that both the neighbouring school and a member of the public independently contacted HSE with their concerns.

“Given the long history of previous HSE enforcement and advice against the respective parties, the failure to protect workers, as well as others in the vicinity, was totally unacceptable.

“It is extremely disappointing that the defendants made the decision to plead not guilty, elect for a Crown Court trial and then cause numerous delays during the pre-trial procedures. The HSE case and weight of evidence was clear from the outset, and the attitude of only acknowledging any wrongdoing at the last possible moment – in this instance the first day of the trial – is telling.”

Firm fined after worker seriously injured in scaffold fall

An Aberdeen-based building and joinery firm has been sentenced after a worker suffered serious injuries when he fell three metres from scaffolding that he was dismantling.

John William Wilson, then 47 and from Aberdeen, broke his left ankle, damaged the ligaments in his right ankle was knocked unconscious and cut his head. He was in hospital overnight and remained in plaster for six weeks as a result of his injuries.

The specialist Health and Safety Division of COPFS today prosecuted Mr Wilson’s employer, Rae Brown & Company Ltd, for health and safety breaches.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that on 24 July 2012 Mr Wilson was asked by Rae Brown & Company to move the scaffolding and take it to another site. He and a colleague, an apprentice, arrived at the farmhouse owned by the partner of one of the company’s directors where two scaffolding towers had been erected.

The towers had been erected in a narrow space between the farmhouse and a garden wall so that general maintenance work could be carried out.

As Mr Wilson dismantled the structure he removed some elements which left the poles unstable. As the poles moved, the metal board he was standing on moved and fell, taking Mr Wilson with it.

An HSE investigation found that neither Mr Wilson nor the apprentice working alongside him had received any formal training in the use of the type of scaffolding they were asked to work with.

Rae Brown & Company Limited, of Rose Street in Aberdeen, was fined £4,000 after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulations 4 and 8 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Liz Hunter said:

“The risks from falls at height are well known in the construction industry. Erecting and dismantling scaffolds should only be done by trained and skilled persons or under the supervision of such a person because you cannot entirely eliminate the risk of falls.

“No such training or supervision was provided by Rae Brown and Company to Mr Wilson and his apprentice. They should never have been allowed to dismantle scaffolding that had been left unsecured and unsupported in this way.

“The correct method would have used competent erectors following the instructions in the scaffold manual, including safe ladder access and removal of components from below whilst working from a complete platform. The scaffold should have been erected on level ground that was free from debris and other trip hazards.

“As a result of the company’s failings, Mr Wilson sustained injuries that left him unable to work for 11 weeks and it was pure luck that the apprentice was not seriously hurt too.”

Falls from height are the biggest single cause of workplace deaths in the construction industry. Information on improving safety is available at HSE Construction Industry Safety .

Remember to check your ladders regularly

An investigation into the death of a worker installing guttering at a home in Llandudno found he was using an unsafe ladder, a court heard today.

Gethin Kirwan, 35, who lived in Hoole, Chester, was working at a property in Llanrhos Road on 4 April 2013 when he fell from the ladder, sustaining a fatal head injury.

Thomas Price, who runs a roofline products’ business, employed Mr Kirwan to carry out the work and was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at Wrexham Magistrates’ court today (18 February, 2015).

HSE’s investigation found that the ladder provided by Mr Price was in an extremely poor state. Although HSE accepted the ladder was not responsible for Mr Kirwan’s fall, it did have a number of serious safety defects which had the potential to cause serious incidents. Two other ladders provided for use on the job had similar critical defects.

HSE found the feet of the ladder were worn through, rungs were bent and one was missing. The defects were obvious through even a cursory inspection and made the ladder unfit for use.

Thomas Price, of Marnel Drive, Pentre, Deeside pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 5(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and was fined £4000 and ordered to pay £4000 in costs.

The court also granted a Forfeiture & Destruction Order for the ladders.

HSE Inspector Chris Wilcox, speaking after the hearing, said:

“Although Mr Kirwan’s death was not attributable to the ladder it was in an appalling state and should never have been used.

“All work equipment must be maintained in a safe condition for use and checked regularly for any damage. For ladders, a quick and simple visual check should be done to look for any obvious defects.

“The most common and critical issues are worn or missing feet and damage to the rungs and stiles which are very easy to spot.”

Firm in court after worker paralysed in roof fall

An East Lothian firm has been fined for serious safety failings after a worker was left paralysed when he fell almost four metres through a fragile rooflight.

Neil Knox, then 69, of Pencaitland, East Lothian, is confined to a wheelchair after suffering irreparable damage to his spinal cord in the incident on 14 March 2013 as he replaced plastic rooflights on a farm shed in Lauder, in the Scottish Borders.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told today (23 Jan) that Mr Knox, a time served and experienced worker without any formal training in roofwork, was employed by David Miller Contracts Ltd to carry out roof repairs at the farm.

Mr Knox had climbed onto the roof using a ladder and crawlerboards to allow him to access the rooflights. He removed three of them before being called down for a tea break.

Mr Knox has no recollection of the incident that followed. A colleague knew he had gone back up onto the roof as he heard him moving about before hearing a loud noise. He found Mr Knox lying on the floor underneath a fourth rooflight which had a large hole in it.

Mr Knox was airlifted to hospital with broken ribs, a broken sternum and punctured lungs. His spine was fractured in two places, damaging his spinal cord, which has left him confined to a wheelchair with no movement or sensation in his legs. He also only has 50% lung efficiency due to partial paralysis of his chest muscles.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that David Miller Contracts Ltd had identified that the roof surface was likely to be fragile but failed to carry out a site-specific risk assessment and subsequently failed to plan the work properly.

The company also failed to identify that the work to replace the rooflights could be done from a working platform beneath the roof, or by using safety nets or harnesses to keep workers safe.

There were no measures in place to prevent someone standing on the fragile roof or rooflights other than the crawlerboards, which did not have any handrails to prevent workers stepping off them.

David Miller Contracts Ltd, of Steading Cottage, Newlands Farm, Gifford, East Lothian, was fined £50,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Work At Height Regulations 2005.

Following the case, HSE inspector Ritchie McCrae said:

“This was an entirely avoidable incident. Falling from height is one of the most common reasons for injuries and even fatalities at work.

“David Miller Contracts Ltd should have been aware of the risks and the precautions that needed to be taken before starting the work. The dangers of fragile roofs are well known and consideration should have been given to using a platform underneath the rooflights or installing safety nets.

“The system of work planned by the company was unsafe, resulting in terrible life-changing injuries which have had a profound effect on Mr Knox and his family.”

Falling through fragile roofs and rooflights accounts for almost a fifth of all the fatal incidents which result from falls from height. On average, seven people are killed every year after falling through a fragile roof or rooflight. Many others suffer permanent disabling injuries.

North Devon housing company and contractor put workers’ at risk

Workers carrying out extensive boiler renovations on houses in Ilfracombe were exposed to potentially-deadly asbestos because of failures by a two local companies.

Two employees of Pilkington Plumbing and Heating Ltd were allowed to carry out removal of a back boiler and to drill a wall panel at a house in Jubilee Close, Ilfracombe, after the company started work despite not receiving an asbestos survey from North Devon Homes.

The incident, on 27 September 2012, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted North Devon Homes for safety failings at Barnstaple Magistrates Court today.

The court heard that Pilkington had requested asbestos survey information on the properties but decided to go ahead without having carried out a sufficient assessment of work liable to disturb asbestos.

Instead, the contractors relied on information about asbestos on North Devon Homes’ website for contractors, but this was not specific to each property being worked on and was incomplete or misleading.

As a result, asbestos insulation board (AIB) was disturbed and the workers exposed when fillets of a fire surround were moved, an AIB panel above a door was drilled and another AIB panel moved.

Residents in the affected properties, which were all being refurbished, had been vacated during remedial works to remove asbestos containing materials.

North Devon Homes Ltd, of Westacott Road, Barnstaple, pleaded guilty to a breach of Construction (Design Management) Regulations and was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £650.

Pilkington Plumbing and Heating Ltd, of Pilton Street, Pilton, Barnstaple pleaded guilty to two breaches of Control of Asbestos Regulations at an earlier hearing before the same court (on 8 October) and was fined £1,500 with £642 costs.

HSE Inspector Barry Trudgian, speaking after the hearing, said:

“As a result of North Devon Homes’ failure to provide the required information and Pilkington not waiting for the asbestos details before starting work, two workers have been needlessly exposed to asbestos.

“The risks associated with asbestos in housing stock are well-known and the regulations governing its removal are long-standing. This incident could have been avoided if Pilkington had carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the work liable to disturb asbestos.”