A London-based property refurbishment company and a roofing contractor have been fined a total of £800,000 after a worker was injured in a fall from scaffolding.
Site of the unplanned lifting operation. Source: HSE
The man had been working as a labourer for Premier Property and Construction on a project managed by Axis Europe at Cathcart Hill in London on 15 April 2024.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Premier had failed to adequately plan, manage and monitor the work, particularly regarding routine lifting operations and the use of appropriate lifting equipment and accessories.
It also found that Axis Europe had failed to properly manage and monitor the works being carried out by Premier on its site.
“During an unplanned lifting operation, the load became trapped,” the HSE said.
“When the worker attempted to free it, the released load caused him to be pulled over the edge of the scaffold.”
The statement added: “The principal contractor did not adequately challenge or prevent the use of untested lifting accessories on site.”
HSE guidance states that contractors must plan, manage and monitor construction work to ensure risks to health and safety are controlled, with effort proportionate to the project’s size, complexity and risks involved.
According to the inspectorate, Axis Europe Ltd, of Tramway Avenue, London, pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 5 December to breaching regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £640,000 and ordered to pay £4,787 in costs, as well as a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Premier Property and Construction Ltd, of Kings Lodge, London Road, Sevenoaks, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The firm was fined £160,000 and ordered to pay £4,787 in costs, plus a £2,000 victim surcharge, the safety body said.
Unsuitable and untested lifting accessory. Source: HSE
HSE inspector Andrew Pipe said: “Every year, a significant proportion of construction-related accidents, many of them serious and sometimes fatal, occur as a result of inadequately planned, managed or monitored work.
“This was a wholly avoidable incident. Had both companies taken appropriate measures to ensure workers’ health and safety, the life-changing injuries would not have occurred.
“The fines imposed should underline to everyone in the construction industry that the courts, and HSE, take failures to follow the regulations extremely seriously.
“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”
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