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Brick pack fall brings Cheshire contractor £400k penalty

Open-access content Tuesday 2nd February 2016
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Edgemere Projects of Tarporley, Cheshire, was principal contractor at a construction site in Wilmslow when a pack of bricks fell on 23 year-old Andrew Dytiche on 7 January 2011. Dytiche sustained fatal crush injuries.

HSE inspector found materials storage at the site was badly organised and pallets used to store and move bricks were also in poor condition.

Edgemere Projects pleaded guilty to charges of failing to protect employees and contractors under Sections 2(1) & 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £97,500 plus £300,000 prosecution costs.

"This was a tragic accident which could have been prevented had the company ensured that materials on the site were stored and stacked safely," said HSE principal inspector Neil Jamieson said.

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