Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team
(Last updated )
Peninsula Team, Peninsula Team
(Last updated )
A company carrying out demolition works on a Victorian building have been fined after a collapse left one labourer with severe injuries.
MAC Demolition Ltd, a Middlesex firm, was contracted to carry out soft stripping works on a domestic property in Kilburn, North West London. Tommy Brookes, 57, had been employed on the site as a labourer for three months before the incident.
In addition to the soft strip works, MAC Demolition were also to demolish the roof of the building. On 2 March 2022, Mr Brookes had been tasked with clearing bricks for reclamation. He was working at the corner of the building when a large piece of masonry fell from the unstable roof, landing on top of him.
The incident left him with life-changing injuries, including a broken shoulder and 12 broken ribs, as well as spinal and internal injuries.
Investigating the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found MAC Demolition had not only failed to adequately assess the risk of falling objects during demolition but had also failed to implement and enforce adequate exclusion zones.
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MAC Demolition Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 20 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. They were fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £3,229 costs at a hearing at Willesden Magistrates Court on 2 November 2023.
Speaking after sentence had been passed, HSE Inspector Gordon Nixon said: “Tommy’s injuries were life-changing and he is lucky to be alive.
“This serious incident and the devastation it caused could have been avoided if basic, industry standard control measures had been put in place.
“Companies need be aware that we will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
For more information health and safety at work, visit BrAInbox today where you can find answers to questions like Who is responsible for health and safety during demolition work?
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