Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
Gender equality
Practice meets perfect
May/June 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Management
  • Strategy
  • Regulation/enforcement
Reporting
Safe systems of work
Sector: Local government
News

Wall collapse costs Essex council £133,333

Open-access content Tuesday 19th February 2019
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.
Basildon Borough Council part-owned the boundary brick wall that stretched across the back of two properties in Vange, Essex.
The structure fell on the girl during a barbeque on 14 August 2016. She sustained life-threatening injuries and was put in an induced coma. She was in intensive care for seven days and in hospital for ten days in total.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the council failed to act after private tenants raised concerns about the poor condition of the wall.
Fears about other walls that had fallen into decay were not passed to building control or the council's inspection team.
The HSE said the council had not implemented a system of intelligence-led inspection, maintenance and repair, and had failed to identify and remedy the risk of collapsing boundary walls, both owned solely by the council, or jointly with private residents.
Basildon Borough Council pleaded guilty to breaching s 3(1) of the Heath and Safety at Work Act and has been fined £133,333 and ordered to pay costs of £21,420.
After the hearing HSE inspector Tania van Rixtel said: "This was a wholly avoidable incident which could easily have been fatal. If Basildon Borough Council had properly recorded residents' concerns about the state of the walls, then a suitably qualified individual could have been engaged to identify the level of risk and instigated the required remedial action.
"Despite the low frequency of wall collapses, they are high consequence events requiring those with the responsibility for structural safety to take proactive measures to ensure that boundary walls and other structures are safely maintained."

You may also be interested in...

Image credit: High Level/REX/Shutterstock

 HSE’s science division analysing 870 tonnes of evidence three years after Didcot collapse

Wednesday 27th February 2019
The investigation into the circumstances of the partial collapse of Didcot A Power Station has moved off the site to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) science division facility.
Open-access content
Image credit: REX/Shutterstock

 No manslaughter charges for Drayton Manor over girl’s death

Thursday 7th March 2019
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to bring manslaughter charges against a theme park following the death of an 11-year-old girl who fell from a water ride.
Open-access content
Image credit: Getty images/iStockphoto/YelenaYemchuk

 Yardman loses leg after forklift accident at chicken facility

Thursday 21st February 2019
A poultry producer has been fined £866,650 after a forklift truck driver reversed into a yardman and injured him.
Open-access content
The third Don crossing in Aberdeen | Image credit: ©Bill Harrison (cc-by-sa/2.0)

 Balfour Beatty fined £600k over death on third Don crossing site

Tuesday 26th February 2019
A division of infrastructure giant Balfour Beatty has been fined £600,000 after it failed to implement a safe system of work for refuelling machinery on the third Don crossing site in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Open-access content
Image credit: ©Simon Ledingham (cc-by-sa/2.0)

 Sellafield to admit breaching HSW Act after worker contaminated

Wednesday 27th February 2019
The operator of the world’s largest nuclear waste storage and reprocessing site in Cumbria intends to admit a health and safety breach.
Open-access content
Image credit: ©iStock/ OlegAlbinsky

 Demolition co’s £400k fine more than halved with likelihood-of-harm revision

Friday 1st March 2019
The £400,000 fine handed to demolition contractor Squibb Group after workers were exposed to a risk of inhaling asbestos fibres during the refurbishment of a London school in 2012 has been reduced by the Court of Appeal.
Open-access content
Topics
Regulation/enforcement
Reporting
Safe systems of work
Sector: Local government
News
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Health and Safety Improvement Manager

Leeds
£35000 - £50000 per annum
Reference
5452992

SHEQ Systems Advisor

Up to £40000.00 per annum + Car Allowance
Reference
5452988

Senior Health and Safety Manager

Reading
Up to £65000.00 per annum + Great Car Allowance & Benefits
Reference
5452983
See all jobs »

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ