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Bus collided with scaffolding over public road causing workman to fall 4m
Panther Scaffolding (A M Judge T/A) has been fined after a joiner fell from scaffolding in Louth, Scotland. The injured man was working on scaffolding erected on 9 November 2009 when a bus passing the scaffold collided with the structure causing him to fall more than 4m to the ground. Passengers on the bus were unharmed.
HSE told the court that the company failed to ensure that the scaffold erectors worked in a safe way and that the finished scaffolding was a safe structure for users and vehicles moving through the town.
Failure to check scaffold was safe before handing it over
Mr Judge, 44, of Old Main Road, Scamblesby, Louth, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(c) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Skegness Magistrates’ Court today. He was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £3,739 costs.
After the hearing HSE inspector Martin Giles said:
“The scaffolding should have been erected in a safe manner, and the finished scaffold should not have jutted out over the road at a height where it could be a danger to passing traffic. The failure to provide adequate scaffolding was caused by inadequate planning before work started and a failure to check that the finished scaffold was safe before handing it over.
Work at height remains a major cause of injury and fatalities in the workplace and for this reason it is important that, where such work is undertaken, then appropriate planning, supervision and safety measures are essential. This becomes even more critical when a job involves work in places like the centre of Louth which expose the public to the risks from scaffolding work.”
