FATAL FALL OF CHILD DURING FLATS REFURB

Major homebuilder failure to remove scaffold gave access to rooftop

Lovell Partnerships Ltd, of London, has been ordered to pay over £120k in fines and prosecution costs following the death of a 7 year-old boy on 23 April 2006. The company was refurbishing blocks of flats in Washington, Tyne and Wear when the boy fell to his death.

The court heard that a scaffold was erected for 12 days despite only being need for 30 mins. Children managed to climb to the roof of the building three floors up and make a den.

The scaffold lower ladder had been removed to prevent access but it could still be accessed from balconies either side or by climbing up the first section of scaffold.

HSE Principal Inspector, Rob Hirst, said: “Sadly, this tragic incident could so easily have been avoided. The scaffold was only required for a fraction of the time it was erected. It was taken down immediately after the incident but this death may have been prevented had it been removed promptly when it was no longer needed.

“As we know, construction sites have always been an attraction to children of all ages who can sometimes view them simply as exciting adventure playgrounds. In doing so they fail to recognise the dangers that they can put themselves in when playing on sites.

All constructors must be aware and take action to prevent this unauthorised and highly dangerous access to building sites.”

This article was posted on 11th November 2009 in ALL LATEST NEWS.
PP Construction Safety H&S Assistance and Consultancy service.

Construction Health & Safety News, Advice and Information from PP Construction Safety

FATAL FALL OF CHILD DURING FLATS REFURB

Major homebuilder failure to remove scaffold gave access to rooftop

Latest Construction Health and Safety News

HSE CONSTRUCTION DUST CONTROL ‘BLITZ’ STARTS

Regulator inspections will check health taken as seriously as safety

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM OF WORK UNSAFE

Welder fell 3m from mezzanine area through purlin openings

WORKER SUFFERS FATAL BURNS IN OXYGEN RICH AREA

Sparks from angle grinder ignited clothing of workman in confined space

RIBA PUBLISH DRAFT POST GRENFELL FIRE SAFETY PLAN

Architects institute consults on ‘golden thread of fire safety information’

MAJOR UK CONTRACTORS HIT BY MAJOR FINES

Firms ordered to pay over £3m after foot trapped in rotating ‘screw’

HSE ENFORCEMENT WEEKLY UPDATE 19th SEPT 2018

Prosecutions and enforcement notices register latest version

DRIVER DIED TRAPPED BETWEEN TRAILER AND VEHICLE

Firm fined £1.5 million over failure to assess coupling operations

ACTUAL SYSTEM OF WORK WAS OPPOSITE OF RAMS

Workman fell 4m through fragile asbestos roof sheet

CDM PRINCIPAL DESIGNER FUNCTION MISUNDERSTOOD?

Consultants claim CDM 2015 design risk management has ‘gone backwards’

RISK ASSESSED PRECAUTIONS NOT IMPLEMENTED

Action not paperwork essential to prevent fall during lifting operation

CROSSRAIL PUBLISH BEST PRACTICE H&S GUIDES

Sharing major project best practice can leave a lasting legacy

SCHOOL STAFF LACKED ASBESTOS AWARENESS TRAINING

Council fined £200k over asbestos flue and gasket rope failures

INCIDENT: MEWP OVERTURN IN CITY CENTRE

Images show aftermath of mobile elevating platform collapse

SAFETY ALERT: DEFECTIVE SCAFFOLD COUPLER

National Access and Scaffolding Confederation issues warning

DEMOLISHING INTERNAL WALL REVEALED ASBESTOS

Firm lacked survey and asbestos management plan for premises

NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY TEST FOR ARCHITECTS

RIBA raise the bar for members on design risk management and ‘life safety’

POWER BUSINESSES FAILED ON LIFTING OPERATION

Panel fell on workman during turbine maintenance project

MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE FIRM COMMITS TO ZERO HARM

Behaviours to deliver zero lost time injury incident rate by 2021

MANAGING TOWER CRANE FALLING OBJECT RISK

CPA issues new technical information note

POST EXPLOSION ASBESTOS WORK WAS UNSAFE

Asbestos cement panels removed and cut with power tools

FALL THROUGH UNFLOORED FACTORY ROOF SPACE

Non-routine tasks require assessment and clear risk controls

SEVENTH LONDON CYCLIST DEATH DURING 2018

Building products vehicle involved in death of Queens doctor

MAJOR CONTRACTOR FAILED TO SUPERVISE LIFT

Errors whilst lifting pre-cast concrete blocks fined £600,000

FIRM FINED £400,000 OVER VIBRATING TOOLS RISK

Hand-held orbital sanders, rivet guns, grinders and drills caused harm

OVERHEAD POWER AND EARTHING OF SCAFFOLDS

NASC combines updates advice on scaffold electrical risks

News Archives