Construction firm fined for unsafe work at height practices
11:43 - 23/07/2010
Construction firm fined for unsafe wo...
Major construction firm, Gee Construction Ltd, has been fined £10,000 for failing to protect its employees from falls while working at height.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided to prosecute the company after an inspection in October 2009 uncovered a series of faults at a site in Caerphilly, South Wales. Unguarded lift shafts were in operation between the first and second floor and there was inadequate edge protection to prevent workers from falling.
Gee Construction Ltd, who were the principal contractor on the site, pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Caerphilly Magistrate’s Court and were ordered to pay costs of £4,514.25 in addition to their fine. The court heard how the company, who are based in Basildon, had already been issued with two prohibition notices for work at height issues back in 2008 and 2009.
HSE inspector David Kirkpatrick commented: “As principal contractors, the company was responsible for the safety of everyone on the site. It had previously received warnings from HSE and its own safety consultants about safely working at height, but clearly this advice had been ignored.
“Fortunately, despite the increased risk no-one was injured on this site, but this case must serve as a warning to companies of the need to ensure working at height is properly managed.”
Bill Gellatly, Senior Health and Safety Consultant for First Response Training, said: “The construction industry is, by its very nature, a hazardous environment to work in and falls from height are one of the most common accidents that occur on construction sites. Almost half of the deaths in the construction industry in the year 2008-09 were as a result of a fall from a height of more than two metres.
“We can offer Falls Prevention and Working at Height training courses as well as general health and safety training, all of which are extremely important for ensuring safe systems of work in the construction industry. If you are unclear of your safety obligations, we can offer a complete consultancy service to assist with your policy production, review and advice, and advise about your health and safety risk management systems.”
In addition to this, we also offer a number of health and safety e-learning titles, including Working at Height and Slips, Trips and Falls. These courses are cost-effective, just 40 minutes in duration, perfect for induction or refresher training, and can be completed by anyone with internet access. For more information on these, or any of our other training courses, please contact us today.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) decided to prosecute the company after an inspection in October 2009 uncovered a series of faults at a site in Caerphilly, South Wales. Unguarded lift shafts were in operation between the first and second floor and there was inadequate edge protection to prevent workers from falling.
Gee Construction Ltd, who were the principal contractor on the site, pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Caerphilly Magistrate’s Court and were ordered to pay costs of £4,514.25 in addition to their fine. The court heard how the company, who are based in Basildon, had already been issued with two prohibition notices for work at height issues back in 2008 and 2009.
HSE inspector David Kirkpatrick commented: “As principal contractors, the company was responsible for the safety of everyone on the site. It had previously received warnings from HSE and its own safety consultants about safely working at height, but clearly this advice had been ignored.
“Fortunately, despite the increased risk no-one was injured on this site, but this case must serve as a warning to companies of the need to ensure working at height is properly managed.”
Bill Gellatly, Senior Health and Safety Consultant for First Response Training, said: “The construction industry is, by its very nature, a hazardous environment to work in and falls from height are one of the most common accidents that occur on construction sites. Almost half of the deaths in the construction industry in the year 2008-09 were as a result of a fall from a height of more than two metres.
“We can offer Falls Prevention and Working at Height training courses as well as general health and safety training, all of which are extremely important for ensuring safe systems of work in the construction industry. If you are unclear of your safety obligations, we can offer a complete consultancy service to assist with your policy production, review and advice, and advise about your health and safety risk management systems.”
In addition to this, we also offer a number of health and safety e-learning titles, including Working at Height and Slips, Trips and Falls. These courses are cost-effective, just 40 minutes in duration, perfect for induction or refresher training, and can be completed by anyone with internet access. For more information on these, or any of our other training courses, please contact us today.
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