Firms advised to purchase public liability cover
It has been revealed that a scaffolding firm in Hemel Hempstead has been fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of more than £2,500 by the HSE, after a work accident.
The trading group was penalised due to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
London magistrates court heard how in November last year, an employee working under the supervision of the company’s boss, fell ten metres through a roof as he was attempting to fix scaffolding at Mothercare World in London.
The worker suffered a broken leg and cuts in the fall and was unable to work for more than three months because of the incident.
Health and Safety Executive inspector Dominic Elliss stated: “[The Bosses] failures to properly assess these works and then ensure that suitable and sufficient health and safety measures were in place resulted in the serious injury of one of his employees.”
As a result, employers have been warned by the HSE about working near fragile material and urged to purchase public liability insurance cover.
Injury lawyers have advised all company owners to make sure that they enforce strict safety rules and regulations. Lawyer Michael Jefferies, commented:
“Over the past year there were 53 deaths following accidents on construction sites and HSE statistics show that reported construction site injuries were mainly caused by falls from heights, falling objects, contact with moving machinery, collapses/overturns and electrocution.
“Construction companies must ensure that they are aware of all the main issues regarding risk assessment and be should be reminded that, following amendments to the Health & Safety Offences Act 2008, it is obligatory to comply with health and safety regulations,” he said.
Help at hand
In an attempt to raise awareness amongst both employers and employees, the HSE has called upon the government to lend a helping hand to struggling businesses.
A new study by the Work Foundation claimed that as firms come out of the financial downturn, bosses are eager to improve the quality of jobs but lack the knowledge to do so.
Although the government is still learning the best ways on how to raise awareness of risks in medium-sized construction companies, it was “getting there,” according to Lord William McKenzie, speaking at the health and safety conference in London.
As part of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) conference, delegates were taken on a tour of the Olympic site to see firsthand how health and safety challenges are being managed.
Stephen Bevan, managing director of the foundation, said that employers are now grasping the link between staff wellbeing and how it can affect productivity.
“The responsibility for health and wellbeing of the workforce is spread across different government departments. We need one centralised body with a clear identity and a clear remit to work in partnership with employers to crack many of the UK's persistent job quality problems,” he added.
Richard Diment, director general of the FMB, agreed stating: “Where firms face a constant struggle to provide the resources to keep up with their ever increasing duties, it is essential that trade associations provide support and expertise to assist them with all facets of their work.”
Updated on 24/11/2009