The owner of a small construction firm in Portsmouth has been fined after he erected a series of scaffolds in and around the town over several months in late 2013 that were riddled with dangerous faults.
It was heard that Graham Pedaltey, trading as Graham’s Scaffolds, was relying on knowledge gained from training he received in 1979. He is now prohibited from erecting scaffolds until up-to-date training is completed.
Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how Mr Pedaltey put workers’ lives at risk by putting up scaffolds several metres high for them to work on but with potentially lethal defects that could have seen builders fall from unguarded platforms or through rotting wooden planks.
HSE prosecuted Mr Pedaltey on 6 January for safety breaches after investigating a particularly hazardous scaffold that he was responsible for in North End Avenue last year. HSE attended as a result of a complaint made by a member of the public.
The court heard that the scaffold, erected on 18 October, had numerous faults, namely:
Despite remedial work requested by HSE being carried out on the scaffold by Mr Pedaltey, there were still defects.
The court was told that Mr Pedaltey had received previous advice from HSE on poor scaffolding twice during the previous month of September 2013.
Graham Pedaltey, trading as Graham’s Scaffolds, of Queens Road, Portsmouth, was fined a total of £1,600 and ordered to pay £600 in costs after admitting breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Work at Height Regulations.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Peter Snelgrove said: “Mr Pedaltey not only erected numerous unsafe scaffolds, but also relied on his knowledge from training delivered in 1979 – more than 30 years earlier. He has now been prohibited from erecting scaffolds until he has completed further training to acquaint himself with up-to-date safety legislation and scaffolding standards.
“His failings created a risk of death or serious personal injury. Scaffolds are temporary structures and their integrity and safety must be ensured to, in turn, safeguard the workers and passers-by.”
The Safety Conversation with SHP (previously the Safety and Health Podcast) aims to bring you the latest news, insights and legislation updates in the form of interviews, discussions and panel debates from leading figures within the profession.
Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, subscribe and join the conversation today!
Contractors sometimes cut corners. Doesn’t necessarily mean that they are not competent. Most of the listed deficiencies relate to requirements that have not changed since 1979.