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May/June 2023 issue

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Construction
News

‘Callous’ rogue trader charged couple for repairs after labourer fell through roof during unsafe WaH

Open-access content Thursday 31st January 2019
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

John Thompson, trading as Thompson Roofing and Guttering, told the couple that the structure of their roof was to blame for the labourer's fall. He claimed the battens and timbers were rotten and spaced too far apart and charged them £7,200 to carry out repair work.

Neighbours alerted Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, whose officers notified the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and this led to a joint prosecution.

Last year, Thompson admitted breaching reg 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations and pleaded guilty to fraud and engaging in a misleading commercial practice. He was jailed for two and a half years earlier this month.

Guildford Crown Court was told that Thompson cold-called the couple, who are in poor health, with one suffering from dementia, at their home near Leatherhead in March 2017 after doing some work on a property nearby and offered to repair a section of guttering for £40, which was agreed.

He then told them he needed to survey the roof but failed to put up scaffolding. One of his labourers fell into the loft below, causing significant damage.

When Thompson billed the couple for the work, he included scaffolding in the cost despite failing to provide it.

The HSE's investigation found that several people were at risk from the work being carried out because no measures were in place to prevent labourers from falling.

An independent expert who examined the roof on behalf of trading standards found the hole was solely Thompson's fault and not down to any structural defects. The expert was also critical of the standard of repair work carried out.

Denise Turner-Stewart, Surrey County Council's cabinet member for community safety, fire and resilience, said: "Rogue traders callously prey on the most vulnerable in our society and our trading standards officers work hard to bring them to justice and keep our communities safe. I would like to thank the neighbours of this couple for their vigilance and for alerting us to their concerns."

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 Worker died in stairwell fall after construction co failed to provide edge protection

Tuesday 29th January 2019
The Formation Construction employee was using a concrete breaker at Tech West House in Acton to make an opening for the stairwell when he fell on 4 November 2015. He sustained fatal head injuries.  A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the company had not planned or supervised the work and had failed to ensure it was being carried out safely. It served an enforcement notice, stopping the work activity until there were guardrails or barriers to prevent workers falling. 
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 HSE-sponsored research seeks to build remote visual inspection and wearables capability

Wednesday 6th February 2019
Sponsors are being sought to co-fund two shared research projects, which will help the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) improve the use of remote inspection technologies and increase take-up of wearables in the workplace.
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 Council’s CDM regs violation led to falling roof trusses

Friday 18th January 2019
Darlington Borough Council was fined £28,000 after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found it had not properly monitored work activities at the building site on Allington Way.The council's failure to ensure the safe storage of trusses was a contributing factor to the accident, the HSE said, along with its failure to manage the volume of materials on site. Vehicle operations had not been planned or managed, and housekeeping was poor.
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 Rydon fined £500,000 after worker fell to his death

Tuesday 19th February 2019
Two construction firms must pay more than £900,000 after a labourer died when a temporary platform collapsed.
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 Demolition contractor’s scissor lift removal forced dangerous improvisation

Thursday 3rd January 2019
Cheshire Demolition and Excavation Contractors had provided a scissor lift for the demolition of a derelict nightclub in Alderley Edge but had removed the machine from the site before the incident on 15 November 2016. The operatives, who had no other means of accessing the upper storey of the building, had climbed into a pick bin, which was lifted by an excavator.When the bin suddenly released from the excavator's arm, the men fell onto a pile of bricks and rubble. One operative sustained a broken back and the other a fractured skull.
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 EDF and Doosan Babcock fined £350,000 over Hinkley skylight fall

Monday 4th February 2019
EDF Energy Nuclear Generation (EDF-NGL) and engineering firm Doosan Babcock have been fined a total of £350,000 after a worker was seriously injured in a fall at Hinkley Point B power station in Bridgwater, Somerset.
Open-access content
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