A scaffolding company, its director, and a supervisor have admitted safety failings following the death of a worker at a construction site in East Sussex.
Apex Scaffolding (Sussex) Ltd was contracted to install scaffolding around a house at Washington Avenue in St Leonards on Sea, which was being refurbished to install dormer windows in the roof.
On 10 August 2009, labourer Joseph Murphy, 31, was constructing the scaffold at the site. He was found lying on the ground with serious head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no witnesses to the incident and it is unclear how far Mr Murphy had fallen.
The HSE’s investigation identified a number of defects with the scaffolding at the site, including missing handrails and incomplete platforms. Workers were also not wearing harnesses when working at height.
Inspectors established that the site supervisor, Leslie Hustwayte, was also negligent, as he hadn’t identified the unsafe working practices, or the defects with the scaffold.€
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How long would the bad practise of this company gone on for with near misses not reported and serious near misses not reported before this poor chap lost his life. what was he doing on the scaffolding before inspection because if it would have been done correctly he would not have been killed. scaffolders are the nearest thing to god when it comes to safe working at height regulations so to listen to the report of the findings is staggering. keep workers safe. think on.