E079:06 21 July 2006

Company fined following injury at Wembley Stadium

Mr Ian Goom, trading as Aztec Screeding, of Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire was this week (17 July 2006) fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £3,028 costs at the City of London Magistrates Court. The prosecution, brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), followed its investigation into an incident in which a construction worker’s fingers were partially amputated.

Speaking after the case, investigating inspector Simon Hester said: “The risks associated employing young people are well known, managers of young persons should take into account their inexperience and possible lack of awareness in assessing potential dangers. Had Mr Goom ensured the screed pump on site was properly maintained, that the manufacturers operating instructions were followed and that his employee was adequately supervised, the accident involving Mr Haywood would not have happened.”

Mr Robert Haywood, 18 at the time of the incident, also of Chalfont St Peter, was involved in work to lay concrete flooring at Wembley National Stadium using a screed pump; a machine that first mixes the cement and then under high pressure pumps the cement through a pipe to the area being worked on. On his fourth day at work on the site, 14 December 2004, a safety grill, designed to prevent access to the mixing paddles inside the machine, had been removed and a safety interlock switch had been overridden. Whilst emptying a bag of cement into the mixing chamber of the pump the young employees' left hand was dragged into the machine. Three of his fingers were crushed requiring partial amputation down to his first knuckle. Mr Goom pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Regulation 11 in that he did not ensure measures had been taken to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Equipment Regulations 1998, states that “Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken, to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone.”
2. “Using Work Equipment Safely” provides simple information in what you can do to eliminate or reduce the risks from work equipment and can be downloaded from www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg229.pdf
3. Industry Guidance on the safe operation of concrete pumps is available from the Construction Plant Hire Association, www.cpa.uk.net/ or the British Pumping Association tel 0141 882 9027
4. The Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997 implement the health and safety provisions of the Young Workers Directive 1994 by means of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992. Practical guidance on the regulations is available in HS(G) 165 “Young people at work – a guide for employers”.

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