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Construction companies prosecuted over needless loss of life
#11 - 0--mikeshields--Construction companies prosecuted over needless loss of life--2004-10-05 13:55:00
#Maidstone Crown Court has handed fines to 3 companies for their failings during a project that led to what an HSE inspector described as a 'needless loss of life' in an industrial accident in Thurrock, Essex, during May last year.
- The shortcomings were revealed during the HSE
investigation into the death of Paul Ross who fell approximately 7 metres whilst working with
colleagues to construct a re-enforced concrete roof in the plant room above the
northern portal to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Thames Tunnels. Another
worker was also injured in the incident when he was hit by a falling steel
section.
Each of the 3 companies, Deverson Direct Limited of Sittingbourne, Kent, J Murphy & Sons Limited of Highgate Road, London, and Hochtief Akteingesellschaft of Whitehill Way, Swindon, pleaded guilty to the breaches and were fined as
follows:
- Deverson Direct Limited were fined £30,000 with costs of £5,851
for breaching two counts of S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc
1974 and £20,000 for breaching r.8(1) of the Construction (Health, Safety
and Welfare) Regulations 1996¹;
- J Murphy & Sons Limited were fined £15,000 for breaching
S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc 1974 and £10,000 for breaching
r.8(1) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996,
and must pay costs of £2,925.50;
- Hochtief Akteingesellschaft were fined £15,000 for breaching
S.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Etc 1974 and £10,000 for breaching
r.8(1) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996,
and must pay £2,925.50 costs.
¹ Regulation 8(1) of the Construction (Health, Safety
and Welfare) Regulations 1996 states that "Where necessary to prevent
danger to any person, suitable and sufficient steps shall be taken to prevent,
so far as is reasonably practicable, the fall of any material or object."
'This
accident resulted from an ongoing failure by the companies involved to ensure
that there was a safe system of work in place. The installation of guard
rails along the open edge of the scaffold would have prevented this needless
loss of life. Ensuring that scaffolding has adequate guard rails is a basic
and simple precaution that everyone in the construction industry should be
aware of.' - Peter Collingwood, HM Inspector of Safety and Health.
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