Demolition company fined for failing to meet basic gas and electricity safety regulations

Date:

16 June 2011

Release No:

COILON/2805

A demolition company has been fined following a dangerous occurrence involving the release of over half a tonne of gas. It also carried out work while electricity supplies to the buildings undergoing demolition remained live.

Kane Haulage Ltd of St Albans in Hertfordshire, was contracted to carry out demolition work at Oldfield Trading Estate in Sutton in preparation for the construction of a new self storage facility on the site. Although some work had been undertaken by the utility companies EDF Energy (EDF) and Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) to disconnect the electricity and gas supplies at the site, neither had completed the process. Meters had been removed from various building units on the estate but the electricity and gas supplies up to the meters remained live.

City of London Magistrates Court heard that EDF engineers were called to the site on a number of occasions between May and July 2009 as a result of damage to live cables, EDF had warned Kane Haulage not to continue with work until all the electricity supplies had been disconnected. Despite this warning, demolition work continued and EDF made a complaint to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) when it was again called to the site on 15 September 2009.

Prior to this on the 13 September 2009 a resident of Oldfield Road reported the smell of gas in his garden and garage to SGN. The source of the gas smell was traced to the demolition site where up to 20 severed live gas pipes were found. The polyethylene pipes had been bent over and tied with wire or duct tape, releasing gas at full pressure when they were untied. Steel pipes had been filled with mud which had dried out and cracked allowing gas to escape.

Kane Haulage Ltd of St Albans, Hertfordshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined a total of £11,700 and ordered to pay costs of £6,936.50

Speaking after the prosecution, HSE Inspector Loraine Charles said:

"It is almost miraculous that there were no injuries, given the level of risk generated by the unsafe way in which Kane Haulage Ltd carried out this demolition in relation to the live electricity and gas services.

"Despite repeated warnings that both gas and electricity supplies to and through the site remained live, Kane Haulage proceeded with demolition works, thus exposing workers on the site, residents of the surrounding properties and users of the busy A217 dual carriageway bordering the site to very serious risks."

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 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 thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."

Press enquiries

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

Issued on behalf of HSE by COI News & PR London