HSE
The director of a construction firm has received a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 24 months, for failing to plan a timber lift.
The Health and Safety Executive investigated an incident in which a worker was crushed when packs of roof trusses toppled over while being moved by crane at a site in East Mersea, Essex in July 2017.
Scaffolding had not been installed around and within the building to enable workers to have a safe area of work. Lifting the roof trusses in packs created risks which were not sufficiently managed. JWB (Mersea) and its owner, Jason Whiting, had failed to plan, manage and monitor the work under their control.
'Lifting the roof trusses individually and securing them permanently could have prevented this accident'
At Chelmsford Crown Court, the company was fined £1000 for breaching regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Company director and owner Whiting admitted breaching section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. As well as the suspended sentence, he was ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work. Full costs of £25,627 were awarded to the regulator.
'Lifting the roof trusses individually and securing them permanently could have prevented this accident,' said HSE inspector David King. '[The] HSE is keen to increase awareness of the need to plan, manage and monitor construction work and ensure the health and safety of construction workers.
'[The] HSE will take enforcement action if companies do not manage health and safety on their sites, including directors.'