Builder fined for using dangerous scaffolding

Date:

7 January 2010

Release No:

YH/003/10

A Driffield builder whose negligence put his employees and sub-contractors at risk was today (7 January) fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £2,244 costs for using unsafe scaffolding.

Angus William Naylor pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Bridlington Magistrates Court. Mr Naylor, of Main Street, Driffield is a partner in the firm trading as WM E Naylor & Son.

The court heard that during a routine inspection in Driffield on 29 April 2009, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) witnessed people working on scaffolding that was unsafe and posed a risk of serious, if not fatal, injuries.

An investigation revealed that between 2 April and 29 April employees working at the new housing build off Sylvan Lea were put at risk of falls of up to 5 metres. The internal and external scaffolding was poorly erected and there was no edge protection in place.

Following the hearing HSE Inspector, Geoffrey Clark commented:

"Falls from height remain the largest cause of fatal and serious injuries in the construction industry. The scaffolding at the Sylvan Lea construction site was dangerous and people should not have been allowed to use it.

"The risks of working at height, and the measures required to avert these risks, particularly with scaffolding, are well documented. We hope today's prosecution serves as a reminder to all companies using scaffolding that they need to ensure that it is erected by trained and competent persons, and that it is fir for purpose."

Notes to editors

1. Section 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states: "Where work is carried out at height, every employer shall take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury."
2. HSE is Britain's national regulator for workplace safety and health. It aims to reduce injuries and illness in the workplace.
3. Information on working at height can be found on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

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