Construction company is fined after fall from height

HSE/LON/206/2009 3 June 2009

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging construction companies to prevent falls from height after a carpenter fell over five metres while attempting to secure concrete shutters.

The incident occurred during the construction of a new school in Waltham Forest in October 2007.

Bouygues (UK) Limited, based in London was fined £ 18,000 with costs of
£ 2,796 after pleading guilty to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, today at the City of London Magistrates Court. The organisation was also ordered to pay the worker £5,000 compensation.

The incident happened when a carpenter on site attempted to tighten the shutters to allow the concrete to be cast for the next floor in the construction of a school. To manoeuvre and fix the shutters and brackets, workers had to lean out beyond the area protected by the guardrails, which consisted of two separate rails, a handrail and a midrail. The carpenter reached beyond the edge protection to the bracket. It was while reaching that he fell more than five metres to a platform below.

As a result of the fall, he suffered fractured ribs and collar-bone, air and blood in the chest cavity and a dislocated thumb. He remained in hospital for six days and was unable to work for over six months.

During the installation of the concrete slabs, before the installation of the shutters, harnesses were worn by workers who would then hook their lanyard onto steelwork or a horizontal running line. No risk assessment or method statement had been provided in relation to the subsequent securing and release of the shuttering.

The HSE investigation found there were no appropriate points identified in the area where the carpenter was working that could have been used as an anchor point with the type of lanyard provided. None of the workers in the 'slab team' appeared to have been trained in how to rescue a person suspended in a harness should they have fallen whilst clipped on.

HSE Inspector Dominic Elliss said:

"A carpenter has sustained life-changing injuries which could easily have proved fatal, because the principal contractor in charge of the site failed to plan the work properly.

"This case clearly demonstrates the importance of following the hierarchy of controls when planning any work at height. At best the company were placing reliance on a poorly supervised and inadequately trained system of harnessing to mitigate the consequence of falls.

"A cherry picker was already on site and could have been used to provide far safer access."

Notes to editors

1. Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not exposed to risks to their health and safety."
2. Falls from height continue to cause a large proportion of fatal and major injuries in the construction industry. Further information on falls from height can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm
3. Information on safety in the construction industry can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm

Press enquiries

Regional reporters should call the appropriate Regional News Network press office.

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News & PR (London and South East)