Inadequate Support to Scaffolding Led to Collapse, Company Fined
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned companies taking work at heights to make sure their machinery and equipments are safe for the employees.
The warning followed an incident on Western Industrial Estate in Caerphilly, where scaffolding at an industrial unit collapsed in June 2006, due to the unsafe arrangement of the structure. Following the incident, Cardiff-based Linmar Scaffolding Ltd was sued by the HSE for negligence even though no employee was injured by the fall.
Linmar admitted its laxity in maintaining safety standards and pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 8 (b) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 before the Abergavenny Magistrates’ Court. The court ordered the company to pay a fine of 1,800 pounds and costs of 5,400 pounds.
According to HSE construction Inspector Dean Baker, contrary to the general requirement for these kinds of structures, the scaffolding had not been secured to the building. He said the scaffolding fell after standing for 11 days, which suggested it could have fallen even when workers were working on it.
He added that luckily no one was injured because of the fact that the collapse of the scaffolding occurred just 20 minutes before workers were to pass below it to change their shift. He added that the negligence of the employer cannot however be overlooked, as there were many other people, who had been present at the site and had walked by the scaffolding minutes before the accident. He lashed out at the company for its irresponsible attitude to ensure enough support for the structure, even though scaffoldings are the company’s main line of business. For those responsible for health and safety in organisations, a CPP Course will help to learn about and develop practical skills in the importance of promoting a positive health and safety culture in the workplace environment.
