Construction boss jailed

Balfour Beatty fined £230k following floor collapse

Construction company, Balfour Beatty, has been fined after flooring at a house-building development gave way, injuring a worker.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how a worker was on the first floor of a new build domestic property when the floor gave way at one side. The worker and approximately 70 building blocks slid 2.4 metres, vertically, to the ground. He suffered fractures to bones in his foot.

Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Limited (Balfour Beatty) was running the site at Richmond Park, Croft, Sheffield, where the incident occurred. The injured person was one of a three-man brick laying team instructed to work on the first floor of an incomplete property.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, which occurred on 2 March 2015, found that the supporting joists of the first floor had not been fully installed as per the house designer’s instructions, leaving it unstable.

Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Limited of Wilton Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 28 (1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £230,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,915.

HSE Inspector Alan Sheldon, said: “It is vital that companies following design instructions and ensure that structures are stable. This incident could have been much more serious for a number of workers and should act as a reminder to everyone within construction–that protecting workers’ health and safety is vital in such a potentially dangerous industry.”

About Roger Bisby

Roger Bisby is an English television presenter and journalist, known for his expertise in the British building industry.

Check Also

the ugly truth about reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete raac youtube thumbnail

The Ugly Truth About Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (RAAC)

Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (RAAC), is in the news right now because days before the kids go back after the summer break somebody in the corridors of power had a panic attack.