Image courtesy of the HSE
London concrete firm Singh Will Mix It has been convicted of safety failings after a worker was hit in the head by a concrete pump while being operated by an untrained colleague – the company has since become insolvent.
The accident involved a man in his thirties who sustained head injuries while working on a domestic property in Crouch End in March 2019.
Worker struck by concrete pump boom
A concrete pump operator was cleaning the pump’s hose after it had been used to pump concrete for a ground floor extension at the property. As the pump operator was doing this, the pump became blocked, leading to a sudden release of pressure and causing the hose to whip and strike the worker in the head. The pump operator was not qualified to operate the machine.
We will not hesitate in prosecuting where contractors and operatives do not have the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and training when carrying out dangerous tasks and putting people at risk
The injured worker spent seven months in hospital following the incident, sustained brain trauma, and continues to have difficulties with his speech, memory and movement.
Southwark Crown Court was told that Singh Will Mix It Ltd failed to ensure workers had the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and training to carry out the work and they failed to have appropriate health and safety systems in place to carry out the work safely.
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The HSE inspector leading the investigation said the safety watchdog will not hesitate in prosecuting where contractors and operatives do not have the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and training when carrying out dangerous tasks and putting people at risk.
The company was found guilty of breaching sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. It was fined £175,000 and ordered to pay £75,722 earlier this month. In October 2022, three years after the incident, it entered into insolvency.
