November 2009
A construction company in Leigh has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive following an accident in which one of its workers was seriously injured when a wall collapsed on him in Wigan in July 2008.
The company pleaded guilty to health and safety charges and was fined £8000 and ordered to pay costs of over £3000 after the court heard how an employee was helping in the demolition of offices at the site when a wall collapsed on him. The employee suffered multiple injuries including fractures to his left leg, collar bone and arm and serious injures to the vertebrae in the upper and lower back and has still not returned to work.
The Health and Safety Executive stated that the employee had been seriously injured because the company had failed to manage the demolition of the building properly. The risk assessment that the company produced did not fully identify the dangers the workers would face. A manager had briefly told his employees what he wanted but failed to stay on site to check his instructions were followed. In addition it was found that only one of the workers had previous demolition experience but he did not stay on site the whole time. None of the other workers on site had either the experience or qualifications needed to demolish buildings.
Chris Macwilliam, Head of Personal Injury at Clough & Willis commented, we still see cases similar to this where employers, especially in relation to high risk jobs are not following Health and Safety Regulations, putting their employees at risk of serious injury or even death, and in addition placing their own companies at risk in terms of court cases, fines and damaged reputation in the communities they operate in.
For further information about accidents at work and personal injury claims, contact Chris Macwilliam , chris.macwilliam@clough-willis.co.uk on 0800 083 0815.