Compliance Principles Ltd | Three Construction Firms Fined For Demolition Fatality
Compliance Principles Ltd

22/09/20
Three construction firms have been fined a total of £256,000 after an employee died during a demolition. A worker was struck on the head by a stack of tiles at a site on the Isle of Wight, on 13 October 2016. The 53-year-old was removing roof timbers by hand with a colleague in preparation for a development project. A gable wall partially collapsed, causing him to fall backwards.
Portsmouth Crown Court was told that the work was inadequately planned and managed by all of the dutyholders involved in the project.
HSE inspector Dominic Goacher said the father-of-two's death was 'wholly avoidable' and caused by the companies’ failure to implement safe systems of work. 'Demolition is a high-risk activity whose safe execution is complex and technical and where expertise is vital,' he added. 'The risk of unintended structural collapse is well known within the industry. Demolition requires careful planning and execution by contractors who are competent in the full range of demolition techniques.' Source: https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2020/09/01/wall-collapse-led-workers-fatal-fall