Firm fined £5,000 after trench collapse traps worker
13:56 - 11/03/2010
Firm fined £5,000 after trench colla...
A construction firm has been fined £5,000 and ordered to pay a further £3,178.10 in costs following a trench collapse that trapped and injured a worker.
Vickers Construction Limited, of Yarm Road, Eaglescliffe, pleaded guilty at Darlington Magistrate’s Court to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The court heard how construction worker John Taylor, 44, was laying pipes when the wall of the trench that he was in collapsed. Mr Taylor was trapped for over two hours and suffered bruising to his legs.
A subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the driver of the excavator which was digging the trench had not received appropriate training to be able to operate it.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Dr Dave Shallow, said: "Trench collapses are a well-known cause of serious injuries and deaths in the construction industry and this incident could have easily been avoided.
"The employee using the excavator should have been properly trained and industry guidance, which recommends providing shoring or trench boxes, should have been followed.
"Companies need to recognise the dangers of excavations and ensure safe systems of work are in place before workers enter excavations."
Health and Safety Trainer, William Gellatly, says: “Contrary to popular belief, safe systems of work are not just 'common sense' and staff do require training to enable them to work safely, this is especially true on construction sites.
"Supervisory staff could receive all of the ground work required by attending a course such as the IOSH Managing Safety in Construction which covers all aspect of managing safety in a logical and progressive manner. t should always be remembered that the cost of good training is cheaper than the fines generally imposed when a company neglects health and safety.”
We offer a range of health and safety training courses, including IOSH Managing Safely in Construction, and can also carry out health and safety consultancy reviews and Construction Design Management (CDM) services for your company. For further information, please call us today.
Vickers Construction Limited, of Yarm Road, Eaglescliffe, pleaded guilty at Darlington Magistrate’s Court to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The court heard how construction worker John Taylor, 44, was laying pipes when the wall of the trench that he was in collapsed. Mr Taylor was trapped for over two hours and suffered bruising to his legs.
A subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the driver of the excavator which was digging the trench had not received appropriate training to be able to operate it.
Commenting on the case, HSE Inspector Dr Dave Shallow, said: "Trench collapses are a well-known cause of serious injuries and deaths in the construction industry and this incident could have easily been avoided.
"The employee using the excavator should have been properly trained and industry guidance, which recommends providing shoring or trench boxes, should have been followed.
"Companies need to recognise the dangers of excavations and ensure safe systems of work are in place before workers enter excavations."
Health and Safety Trainer, William Gellatly, says: “Contrary to popular belief, safe systems of work are not just 'common sense' and staff do require training to enable them to work safely, this is especially true on construction sites.
"Supervisory staff could receive all of the ground work required by attending a course such as the IOSH Managing Safety in Construction which covers all aspect of managing safety in a logical and progressive manner. t should always be remembered that the cost of good training is cheaper than the fines generally imposed when a company neglects health and safety.”
We offer a range of health and safety training courses, including IOSH Managing Safely in Construction, and can also carry out health and safety consultancy reviews and Construction Design Management (CDM) services for your company. For further information, please call us today.
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