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Contractor fined after failing to tie windy location scaffold
Craven Scaffolding Ltd of Manchester has been ordered to pay ove £30k in fines and prosection costs after scaffolding collapsed outside a new gym crushing several cars.
The incident occurred in January 2009 after the company failed to tie the scaffolding to the building, despite it being in a windy location.
Scaffold collapse occurred in high winds without ties
The structure, which was more than 40 metres wide and nearly six metres high, was forced over by high winds early in the evening on Saturday 17 January 2009. It collapsed onto a neighbouring residential street, damaging several parked cars.
HSE Inspector Neil Martin said:
“People living near the site could easily have been badly injured or even killed when the scaffolding collapsed. Several cars parked on the street were crushed but luckily no one was in them at the time.
Well intentioned netting acted as a sail and contributed to collapse
Neil Martin added: “Craven Scaffolding had put up netting on the scaffolding to catch falling debris but it acted as a sail and pulled over the structure, which was not tied to the building. It’s vital scaffolding companies learn lessons from this incident to prevent injuries in the future.”
”The scaffolding collapsed because basic health and safety procedures weren’t followed when it was put up. If it had been tied to the building, it could not have been forced over by high winds.”
Craven Scaffolding pleaded guilty to breaching WAH Regulation 12(4) by failing to carry out an inspection of the scaffolding up to seven days before the collapse, and of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of the public.