DEVELOPER PROSECUTED FOR FAILURE TO MANAGE SAFETY
Court fines firm after lack of response to HSE advice and prohibitions
Prestige Homes Construction Company Ltd has been prosecuted after three stop orders were issued following visits to a construction project in Greater Manchester.
HSE first served the developer with a Prohibition Notice in May 2008 following inspection of the site of a new ‘mansion’ on Stanhope Road in Bowden where open excavation edges were found. A follow-up visit found that scaffolding had been provided and met the required standards.
During a further inspection in July 2009 large amounts of ‘rubble’ were found around the site making access dangerous leading to a second Prohibition Notice.
Finally, when inspectors visited in August 2009 scaffolding was found to be in a dangerous condition with missing guardrails/toe boards and gaps in the platforms. HSE therefore took the decision to prosecute.
Two strikes and out
Prestige Homes Construction Company Ltd was charged with breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to take sufficient action to prevent falls, and Regulation 27(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 by failing to keep the construction site in good order.
Prestige Homes, of Bury New Road in Manchester, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,792 after admitting two health and safety offences at Minshull Street’s Manchester Crown Court on 6 May 2011. Ian Betley, the investigating inspector at HSE, said:
“The lives of several construction workers were put at risk because Prestige Homes failed to make sure the site remained safe. We gave the company two chances to improve standards but, in the end, we had no choice but to prosecute.
Falls from height remain the biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of injury. We found missing guardrails on two separate occasions that meant it would have been dangerous to work on the site.
The amount of rubble we spotted when we inspected the site in July 2009 also made it very difficult to carry out work safely. It was only by chance that no one was seriously injured.”
Latest Construction Health and Safety News
ROPE ACCESS WORKER FELL THROUGH FRAGILE ROOF
Prison sentence imposed on owner of rope access firm
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 24th April 2018FIRMS FINED £2M OVER FALLING PIPE FATALITY
Incorrect stacking of pipes triggered fall and crushing of workman
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 20th April 2018DOMESTIC PROJECT PC HANDED JAIL TERM
Workman fell from unprotected roof edge on dormer extension
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 20th April 2018MAJOR CONTRACTOR ERRED ON FRAGILE ROOF RISK
Firms fine £965,000 after painter fell through waiting room roof
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 19th April 2018HSE ENFORCEMENT UPDATE 19th APRIL 2018
Prosecutions and enforcement notices update and analysis
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 19th April 2018STRUCTURAL SAFETY BODY LATEST NEWSLETTER
CROSS publishes reports and expert comment on a range of issues
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 18th April 2018NEW BIM SPEC FOR SHARING H&S INFORMATION
Specification for sharing health and safety info during construction projects
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 17th April 2018MANAGERS FORGED ASBESTOS DOCUMENTATION
Removal licence obtained using fake training and medical certificates
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 17th April 2018FINE OVER INCORRECT AND MISLEADING SURVEY
Specialist asbestos company failed to detect AIB on demolition project
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 17th April 2018IGNORING HSE ADVICE PENALISED BY LARGE FINE
Contractor fined over £50k for persistent WAH and welfare failings
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 17th April 2018PRISON OVER BASEMENT EXCAVATION AND COLLAPSE
Building contractor jailed after house collapsed in Brighton
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 17th April 2018DEFEATING POWER INTERLOCK CAUSED FLASHOVER
Systems for managing electrical safety found to be inadequate
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 17th April 2018LADDER SAFETY FAILURES ATTRACT MASSIVE FINE
National window firm left workers to ‘own devices’
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 12th April 2018FALLING MATERIAL STRUCK WORKMAN IN EXCAVATION
Risks of working in and near excavations highlighted by incident
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 4th April 2018HSE ENFORCEMENT WEEKLY UPDATE 4th APRIL 2018
Prosecutions and enforcement notices weekly update and analysis
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 4th April 2018HOUSING ASSOCIATION FAILED ON VIBRATION RISK
Assessment, management and health surveillance all found wanting
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 3rd April 2018OCCUPIER AND CONTRACTOR FINED OVER FALL
Employee assisting contractor fell through roof during re-roofing project
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 3rd April 2018HSE FEARFUL OF GROWING ’BLUE TAPE’ BURDEN
ISO 45001 could generate fresh business to business demands
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 3rd April 2018HSE ENFORCEMENT WEEKLY UPDATE 21st MAR 2018
Prosecutions and enforcement notices weekly update and analysis
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 28th March 2018INCIDENTS: PASSER-BY STRUCK BY BRICKS
Pack of bricks appear to have fallen from crane
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 28th March 2018HSE RECONSIDER HOW TO INFLUENCE SMALLER FIRMS
Regulator advice and messages are failing to chime with the SME businesses
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th March 2018DANGEROUS REMOVAL OF ASBESTOS CEMENT
Workers smashed asbestos sheets with crowbars whilst at risk of falling
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th March 2018HSE LAUNCH CONIAN SHARING AND SUPPORT PLATFORM
New HSE web community now open to the public
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th March 2018FIRM FAILING ON HAVS SURVEILLANCE FINED £50,000
Door manufacturer failed to manage sanding and buffing tool vibration
Read the rest of this article »
Posted on 27th March 2018