In Court

Scaffolding firm fined after collapse at school

Ankit Kumar

A scaffolding company has been fined after scaffolding it had erected collapsed onto a neighbouring primary school.

Swain Scaffolding Limited had erected scaffolding 7m high and 8m long at the gable end of a residential property in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff Magistrates’ Court was told. At around 13:30 on 5 May 2017, the scaffolding collapsed onto a single storey roof above the playground of a neighbouring school.

A group of nursery children were playing in the playground just a few metres away at the time of the collapse. The incident happened just a few minutes after the playground had been full of children on their lunch break.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the scaffolding was not designed or installed to withstand foreseeable loads. It was not tied to the adjacent building, nor did it have adequate buttressing or rakers and was essentially a freestanding structure. The investigation found that it was almost inevitable that the scaffolding would collapse, even in unremarkable weather conditions.

Swain Scaffolding Limited of Heol Y Nant, Rhiwbina, Cardiff was found guilty of breaching Regulation 19(2) of the Construction Design and Management Regulations and was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £3,452.50 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Gemma Pavey said: “Failure to adequately design and install scaffolding, so that it can withstand foreseeable loads, creates risk to workers and members of the public who could be injured by an uncontrolled collapse.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

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