The dangers of working at height have hit the headlines once again this week after two companies were heavily fined for putting their workers' safety at risk.
According to industry watchdog, Safety & Health Practitioner, an incident in April 2016 saw pipe repair workers in Bilston exposed to significant risk during a job at a warehouse owned by James Durrans & Sons Ltd.
The contractors, working for Kingswinford Engineering Co Ltd, were hired to fix pipework on the roof of the warehouse; however, the conditions provided were shockingly reckless, posing a variety of dangers for those working on the job.
No Safety System
The nature of the task required workers to be hoisted to the roof in a forklift man-cage; however, the forklift fell short of the roof, leaving a three-foot gap.
The roof was then only accessible by climbing from the cage to the roof. Worse still, the roof itself was said to be slippery and wet with no protective barrier in place to prevent a fall.
An investigation by the HSE concluded that neither the warehouse owners or the repair company had conducted a proper risk assessment and no safety system had implemented for the job.
The Price of Safety
The HSE findings highlighted that both James Durrans & Sons Ltd and Kingswinford Engineering Co Ltd had assumed the other had the safety procedures covered.
This gross negligence led both parties to plead guilty to breaching sections of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The result saw Kingswinford Engineering fined to the tune of £18k with costs of £9k, while Durrans & Sons were fined an even heftier £100k with costs of £20k.
Proper Precautions
The news story highlights the importance of worker/contractor safety on site and the financial ramifications associated with such an oversight.
Despite the lofty fines levied against both companies involved, the price could have been far steeper should an accident have occurred.
If you or your company are involved in working at height, suitable and appropriate fall protection measures are a must – it could save a life.
For more information on fall arrest and fall protection, call now on 0117 9381 600 or get in touch online using the button below.
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