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18th April 2018 saw BAM Nuttall fined under section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work act through Croydon Crown Court £900k following an incident where a painter, working for subcontractor McNealy Brown, fell through a fragile railway station ceiling into a passenger waiting room, resulting in severe ligament damage. McNealy Brown was also convicted for the incident and fined £65k.
Several communication errors meant that the employees in question were not brief on the risk assessment which required work to be carried out at night, requirement for the use of full-body harnesses or the awareness of fragile roofs. Reports stated that a crash deck had previously been installed but removed to allow works to be completed. Plywood working platforms had been commissioned but not installed along with barriers and warning signs were also missing. Previous incidents had also occurred in which tools had fallen from the work area into the public platform area below which should have raised major concerns under the Work at Height Risk. To find out more about the incident read Nick Warburton’s article in IOSH Magazine CLICK HERE
The HSE Advocates the “Avoid – Prevent – Minimise” Control measures to reduce the risk of any workers falling whilst working at height. ESUK can assist with mitigating the risk of Working at Height through Competency. Ensuring your workers understand the key hazards working in the construction environment by taking the Safety Pass Alliance – Core Construction training course. This one-day course can give delegates the knowledge to:
- Appreciate how they personally can influence good standards within health, safety & the environment
- Understand the value of risk assessment and have the knowledge to recognise when a change to a generic assessment is required
- Understand the common hazards associated with work
