MP Building Limited has been fined £65,000 and ordered to pay £6,298.82 in costs at Luton Magistrates’ Court.
The sentence comes after the Hitchin-based construction company pleaded guilty to contravening Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Regulation 13(1) of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The case centred on a 2017 falling incident that resulted in a carpenter sustaining nerve and tissue damage to his lower back.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), MP Building Limited’s risk assessments were generic.
HSE explained: “They identified falls from height, but control measures focused on scaffolding and did not mention internal falls and decking. It was also found that operatives on the site were not trained to install the safety decking.”
Raised safety decking was used for fall mitigation within the property; it, however, did not cover the whole area and in fact left significant gaps. The worker was injured after a truss started to fall, bringing him down with it, when he climbed to remove a nail from a brace.
“This incident could so easily have been avoided by planning work at height to ensure that suitable and sufficient measures were in place to prevent falls,” said HSE inspector Jenny Morris
”Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”
