Construction Health and Safety Consultancy and CDM Adviser Services

Public Injured by Construction Firm
Posted by David Cant on August 17, 2012
2 Comments

The construction industry is often mentioned in health and safety blogs due to the high level of risk and the number of incidents that occur. However, many of those accidents are relating to the workers and sub-contractors who have been hurt while they work on sites up and down the country.  Employers have a duty to follow the Health and Safety at Work Act and other regulations to do everything possible to reduce those risks. The responsibilities of the employers and business owners doesn’t only concern their workforce, they also have a duty to the wider public too.

Individuals and Cars Were Struck by the Falling Cladding

Brendan Flynn Construction Limited have recently been prosecuted after they failed to secure the panelling around the site they were working on.  The company had been sub-contracted in order to complete some carpentry work on a house.  The construction workers clad the house but didn’t ensure the cladding was safe and properly secured. As a result the cladding fell off in the wind and crashed onto the pavement below injuring members of the public.

An eighty year old woman was hit by one piece of the panelling, severing her foot so severely that the lady nearly lost it. Another man was also hit and suffered with bruising which covered his entire arm from the shoulder to the wrist.  Some cars were also damaged by the panelling as they were parked in the nearby supermarket car park and travelling on the road.

The Correct Nails Weren’t Used to Secure the Cladding

The cladding had come away from the building because the construction firm hadn’t used the correct nails for the job.  Brendan Flynn Construction Ltd failed to follow basic carpentry practice when using the speciality panelling. The incident could have resulted in many tragic accidents and even loss of life, it was only luck that no more parties were injured, although that wouldn’t help the injured parties feel any better about being struck by the cladding.

The correct safety procedures must be followed strictly in order to protect the public from harm.  Brendan Flynn Construction were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for the accident which occurred in November 2009.  They pleaded guilty at Crawley Magistrates Court and were fined £8,000 for breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.  The construction firm will also have to pay the court costs which amount to £14,760.

Health and Safety Services Available for the Construction Industry

This case highlights the need to understand the Regulations and legislation concerning responsibilities of employers and business owners. Health and Safety Consultants can come to any site and conduct an audit that will show any areas of weakness and ensure risks are kept under control using risk assessments, correct training and complete awareness of duties, both morally and legally.

The audit is one of the health and safety services that can be beneficial to all companies.  There are many other services available that are designed for the construction industry including sure safety inspections, writing risk assessments, safe systems of work and method statements.  Health and safety consultants can also help to write up your cooperate health and safety policy and provide you with the preparation of your health and safety file.  If you require any of these services or would like to ask any questions regarding the construction services please call 0800 1488 677.

About 

David Cant is a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner extraordinaire. He has a wealth of Industry experience and is the MD of Veritas Consulting. David also Blogs about Health and Safety here Health and Safety Consultants

His aim is to flavour Health and Safety with integrity, served with a side of humour You can find David on - Twitter and Google also Linkedin

This post has been filed in: Construction Health and Safety, Health and Safety, Health and Safety Consultancy, Health and Safety Services

2 Comments

  1. April 12, 2013 at 9:23 am

    An interesting post, safety is important in any work place but especially so in the construction industry and it is important for people to make sure that they do as much as they can to keep them and others safe. It is especially important to have the correct safety equipment, because a workman is only as good as his tools.

  2. February 12, 2018 at 12:24 pm

    Safety in the construction industry is very important and it’s very hard to go overboard with procedures as you can’t put a value on a human life. But if all the correct steps are taken and the right equipment used, hopefully it reduces the number of on-site accidents considerably.

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