View of the partially collapsed working platform
Three construction firms have been fined a total of more than £1m after a worker was killed in a 16 metre fall.
A carpenter and a steel-fixer were standing on a temporary wooden platform above a stairwell when it suddenly gave way beneath them.
The two fell 16 metres and landed on a partly-constructed concrete staircase below where the carpenter sustained fatal injuries.
The steel fixer survived but was so seriously injured that it was three years before he recovered enough to be able to return to work.
An engineer’s assistant, who was working in the stairwell on a lower level, was struck by some falling debris and sustained serious injuries.
Southwark Crown Court heard that an HSE investigation found that similar platforms had been constructed on other floors throughout the site by using timber joists supported by unsuitable joist hangers with plywood fixed on top.
The HSE investigation also found that the platforms, which were part of ‘temporary works’ were not built to an agreed safe design, and nor was the quality of the build checked by those in control of the site, even though they were crucial to the safety of workers on upper floors.
The HSE inspector, Karen Morris, said: “The risks of falling from height are well-known, and the risk of joist hanger failure is well-documented. This tragic incident illustrates what can happen if temporary works are not properly organised.
“All those who have a role in planning and managing work on site must take responsibility for ensuring that serious risks are properly controlled.”
St James Group Limited, the principal contractor, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, and was fined £600,000 with costs of £14,935.54.
Mitchellson Formwork and Civil Engineering Ltd, the contractors responsible for constructing the platforms, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(2) of the CDM regulations 2007, and was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,935.54.
RGF Construction Ltd, a site agent who assisted with managing the work, was found guilty at an earlier hearing on 4 July 2016 of breaching Regulations 13(2), and 28(2) of the CDM Regulations 2007, and was fined £20,000.
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