Compensation claim news
10/05/2011

Industrial accident hazard firm prosecuted by HSE

Health and Safety news – HSE prosecutes firm for industrial accident risks

A construction company based in Manchester has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after breaching work regulations, which could have resulted in an industrial accident, on several occasions.

The investigations occurred on the site of a six-bedroom mansion which was under construction in Bowden, Greater Manchester.

In May 2008 the site was found to be unsafe and the firm was given a Prohibition Notice ordering it to rectify the problem. Safe scaffolding was seen to have been provided on a follow-up visit.

However, in July 2009, HSE inspectors found that the site was once again unsafe due to large amounts of building site rubble making the area difficult to access. The company was issued with its second notice.

In August of 2009 when inspectors returned, they found that the scaffolding had become dangerous for employees with missing guard rails and toe boards as well as gaps in the platform. It decided to prosecute the construction firm plus issue it with a third notice.

Although none of the workers had suffered an injury, one HSE inspector stated that this was "only by chance" and that "falls from height remain the biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of injury," adding that it "would have been dangerous to work on the site".

The firm was fined £10,000 and made to pay court costs of £4,792.

If any of its employees had suffered a personal injury due to the company's negligence, they could then have pursued a compensation claim against their employer.