Company fined after a scaffolder was injured in fall from height.

11/08/2022

A Yorkshire based scaffolding company has been fined £33,333.33 and ordered to pay £14,368.40 in costs. They were ordered to pay after a worker fell around 4 metres through a fragile roof light on an asbestos cement sheet roof.

The worker sustained numerous serious injuries including; a dislocated and fractured wrist, crushed nerves in his wrist, a broken nose and also sprains to his shoulder and ankle.

An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) made the discovery that the scaffolding company did not identify that the workers were carrying out work on a fragile roof. Therefore, they failed to put measures in place that would prevent falls and protect the workers.

The HSE inspector commented: “Working on a fragile roof is a known risk in the industry and this accident could have been prevented.”

Company fined after worker loses tip of finger.

02/05/2018

A metal fabrication company has been fined £4,000 and also ordered to pay £957.65 in costs. The fine was issued after an investigation by the HSE after a worker was injured using a machine.

The incident happened when the worker was using a machine to drill a hole in a metal fence post. The glove on her  hand got entangled with the drill-bit and the workers finger was amputated to the first knuckle.

The HSE inspector commented that: “This injury could have been prevented by putting in place a simple guarding measure.”

Construction company fined after death of worker.

02/05/2018

A Swindon based construction company has been fined £200,000 and also ordered to pay costs of £5565.80 after the death of a worker. The employee was driving a forward tipping dumper in May 2016. The dumper became stuck on a spoil heap, the employee then jumped off the vehicle, which then flipped over and caused serious head injuries to the employee. The employee unfortunately died from these injuries.

The HSE found that there were no barriers in place to prevent over-running. They also found that an excavator had removed some of the spoil heap which created a sheer face.

The HSE inspector said: “The risk associated with creating spoil heaps had not been properly assessed. Either the company should have decided on a safer method which avoided the need for the dumper to access spoil heaps (as they have done after the accident), or they should have introduced stricter management arrangements which would have included bunds at a safe distance from the edge.”

These cases are just a few examples of what happens if health and safety is neglected. They also demonstrate how serious the consequences can be for the workforce. 

It is a requirement for construction sites to require CSCS cards from supervisors, trainees, skilled workers and labourers to show they have completed a relevant health and safety course. CSCS cards are a requirement of many major construction contractors and organisations in the UK, such as Crossrail, The Greater London Authority (GLA) and Network Rail and HS2. Construction workers are also required to have their own safety qualifications or card before they can work on-site on most building sites in the UK.

Here at FaCT – Fencing and Construction Training Ltd – we offer qualifications in fencing at levels 1, 2, 3 and 5. Our experienced trainers and assessors provide nationally-recognised qualifications to ensure that fencers’ skills meet the standards expected in the construction industry.

The importance of safety training in construction environments should not be underestimated. According to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Construction Statistics in Great Britain report for 2021, there were 39 fatal injuries to workers in the construction industry in 2020/21 and 61,000 non-fatal injuries between 2018 and 2021. Furthermore, 74,000 construction industry workers suffered work-related ill-health between 2018 and 2021. Maintaining good practices in health and safety in construction site environments is vital if we’re to reduce these numbers in future.