A major UK housebuilding firm has been fined £800,000 after a 17-year-old apprentice was injured in a fall caused by a temporary stairwell collapse on a construction site in Weston-super-Mare.
The trainee bricklayer had been working on a development – a site set to deliver around 450 new homes – when the incident occurred on 22 August 2023. Less than a year into his apprenticeship, he had been moving concrete blocks onto the first floor of one of the newly built homes when the floor beneath him gave way. A section of temporary flooring, laid over a stairwell and supported by timber joists, collapsed under the weight of the materials. He, along with up to 20kg of concrete blocks, fell more than two metres to the ground below. He sustained injuries to his fingers, hand, wrist, and shoulder. An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) later said he was ‘lucky’ not to have been more seriously hurt.
Investigators found that the temporary structure had not been adequately supported. The joists under the timber covering should have been ‘back propped’ – a requirement detailed in the company’s own health and safety documentation, but one that was overlooked on this particular plot.
HSE guidance makes clear that steps must be taken to prevent risks of structural collapse on construction sites. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, employers are also legally required to ensure the safety of contractors working under their control.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Act and was sentenced at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court earlier this month. The company was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £6,240 in costs, as well as a £2,000 victim surcharge.
‘Everyone working in construction has a responsibility to ensure people are safe,’ said HSE inspector Derek Mclauchlan after the hearing. ‘Any work involving structural stability is potentially high risk and should be properly planned and implemented. ‘This incident could have been avoided had the right steps been taken. The failures of the company resulted in a young man at the very beginning of his career being injured. Charlie was lucky those injuries were not far more serious. Lessons should be learned.’
Source – IOSH
