A construction company has been fined after a worker was seriously injured when roof trusses toppled over while being moved by crane on a building site in Essex.
An investigation by Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, the Health and Safety Executive found that scaffolding was not installed around and within the timber frame chalet bungalow at the site in East Mersea, to enable workers to have a safe area of work.
Failure to plan
Lifting the roof trusses in packs created risks which were not sufficiently managed. TJWB (Mersea) Ltd and its owner had failed to plan, manage and monitor the work under their control.
The company was fined £1,000 in relation to the incident which happened in July 2017.
JWB (Mersea) Ltd of Westwood Drive, West Mersea, Colchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Suspended sentence
Company director and owner, Jason Whiting, of the same address, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He received a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 24 months. He was required to do 240 hours of unpaid work. The Health and Safety Executive was awarded full costs of £25,627.32.
Lifting the roof trusses individually
Speaking after the hearing, Health and Safety Executive inspector David King, said: “Lifting the roof trusses individually and securing them permanently could have prevented this accident. Health and Safety Executive is keen to increase awareness of the need to plan, manage and monitor construction work and ensure the health and safety of construction workers. Health and Safety Executive will take enforcement action if companies do not manage health and safety on their sites, including directors.”
Further information about the duties of contractors, under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/principal-contractors.htm