The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Hull-based building contractor for putting workers at risk through erecting unsafe scaffolding.

In September 2009, a routine inspection by the HSE of a house extension at Longcroft Park, Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire revealed an employee of the company working on a scaffold that was unsafe and posed a risk of serious – and potentially fatal – injuries.

HSE inspectors found that employees working on the first floor extension were at risk of falls from the building – a drop of around 4 metres. The scaffolding also had no edge protection in place – and an access ladder was found to be too short and had not been secured.

On Wednesday, 10 March,  2010 at Beverley Magistrates’ Court, Shane Homes Limited –based at Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire, but registered at Bowlalley Lane in Hull – pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £799 costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Geoff Clark said that falls from height ‘remain the largest cause of fatal and serious injuries in the construction industry’.

‘The scaffolding at the Shane Homes construction site was dangerous and people should not have been expected to use it,’ said Mr Clark.

‘The law is quite clear – and there is much guidance provided by the HSE and industry bodies on the required standards for working at height,’ he added.

‘We hope today’s prosecution serves as a reminder to companies using scaffolding that they need to ensure it is erected by trained and competent people, and that it is safe to use.’

The HSE says that in the year 2008-09, more than 4,000 employees suffered major injuries after falling from height at work – and 21 workers in the construction industry died.

More information about the HSE’s ‘Shattered Lives’ campaign to prevent slips, trips and falls at work is available at www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives.

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