Construction contractors Materials Movement and PJ Labour Services have each been fined £33,000 after a worker was killed in an explosion at a North London demolition site.
On 16 March 2017, Stephen Hampton was working at a site on Swains Lane in Camden, cutting up an old fuel storage tank when it exploded and the end of the vessel struck the 54-year-old, killing him.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told that both contractors failed in their duties to effectively plan, manage and monitor control measures to address the risks associated with the demolition of a site that contained fuel tanks.
Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that neither company adequately assessed and controlled the risks of this highly dangerous work. It was left to the workers to devise their own methods of working, which was compounded by no site management.
Both Bedfordshire-based Materials Movement and P J Labour Services, which is based in London, admitted breaching reg 15(2) of Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations 2015. Each company was fined £33,000 and ordered to pay £7,675 in costs.
In a statement, the HSE said the standards for this type of work are well known, established and clear.
"Both Materials Movement and P J Labour Services have been held to account for killing Mr Hampton after failing to take adequate action to protect the health and safety of persons working on their site," said HSE inspector Ian Shearring.