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Directors of decorating firm prosecuted after unexplained fall
Liversedge Decorating Contractors Ltd, two of its directors, and a second company Foster Turn-Key Contracts Ltd have today been prosecuted after a painter was injured on a student accomodation refurbishment project in 2007.
Trevor Dawson of Yorkshire was working as a painter when the incident happened. Magistrates heard that he apparently fell from a ladder. There were no witnesses.
Work inadequately supervised and inappropriate equipment used
The HSE investigation found principal contractor Foster Turn-Key Contracts Ltd and Liversedge Decorating Contractors Ltd, contracted to decorate the flats, had allowed work to be carried out that was not adequately planned or supervised and had used inappropriate equipment.
Liversedge Decorating Contractors Ltd of Dewsbury, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and were fined £2k.
Paul Daniel of Smithy Carr Lane, Brighouse, and Clive Dewhirst of Mountain Road, Thornhill, Dewsbury, both directors of the firm, also pleaded guilty to the same charge. They were fined £1k each.
Foster Turn-Key Contractors of Plover Road, Lindley, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22 (1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. They were fined £2k.
Injured man unable to remember events leading to injury
Mr Dawson is unable to recall any details of the incident because of the injuries sustained to his head.
After the hearing HSE Inspector David Stewart said:
“The ladder Trevor Dawson used, which we believe may have caused or contributed to his fall, was simply not suitable for the work he was doing. It was a domestic step ladder which should not have been allowed on the site. In this situation, a tower scaffold would have been much more appropriate.”
Falls from height remain the single most common cause of fatality and serious injury in the construction industry. The law is quite clear and HSE provides freely-available guidance on how work at height should be managed.
In this instance, individual directors of a company were found guilty for not planning and supervising the work properly. This case should send a clear message to company directors about their responsibilities for health and safety. “