Firm and director fined after workers suffer severe injuries

Date:

14 April 2011

Release No:

COILON/2802

A London-based construction firm has been fined after two workers suffered multiple injuries when a floor collapsed beneath them.

Epiphany Homes Ltd, of Barry Road, London, was constructing three new apartments within a building when the incident happened on 5 June 2008.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), prosecuting, told City of London Magistrates' Court that bricks were being loaded onto the second floor of the building when it collapsed.

Two operatives, who do not want to be named, working under the control of PJ Faul (managing director of Epiphany Homes Ltd) were stood on the second level when it crashed through to ground level, along with debris. Both employees suffered multiple injuries that required hospitalisation.

Ephiphany Homes Ltd, was charged under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £5,000.

Patrick Joseph Faul of Beulah Hill, London, was charged under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 - Reg 28(1) and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 - Reg 6(3). He was fined £3,500.

Both parties were also ordered to pay costs of £10,000 each.

After the hearing, Inspector Peter Collingwood said:

"This was an entirely preventable incident which was caused by a lack of planning and implementation of simple well-known precautions. The floor that collapsed was loaded out with blocks before the blockwork above the joist hangers was adequately set. Also the floor had not been back-propped."

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. For more information about the work of HSE, visit www.hse.gov.uk
2. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."
3. Regulation 28 (1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 states: "All practicable steps shall be taken, where necessary to prevent danger to any person, to ensure that any new or existing structure or any part of such structure which may become unstable or in a temporary state of weakness or instability due to the carrying out of construction work does not collapse."
4. Regulation 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."

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