Construction firm fined after demolition incident

A construction company has been prosecuted and fined by the HSE following an incident at a site which resulted in a worker being severely injured.

The company, Northern Structures LTD, was carrying out demolition work at a farm building when the worker fell from height and suffered a fractured spine.

South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 20 September 2017, the employee of Northern Structures Ltd was removing roof sheets from a timber frame farm building when he fell approximately four metres through one of the asbestos cement roof sheets onto the ground below.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that, while a risk assessment and method statement were in place to remove the roof sheets from below, this method was then changed to remove them from above. It was during this process that the employee fell through a roof sheet.

Northern Structures Ltd of Amble Industrial Estate, Amble, Northumberland pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1)(a) and Regulation 4(1)(c) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £150,000 with £791.70 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Loren Wilmot said: “Suitable and sufficient measures should have been in place through the use of alternative access equipment.

“This would have negated the need for the employee to be on the roof of the building, therefore eliminating the risk of a fall from height through the roof sheets.”

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