Two companies have been fined a total of £700,000 and a director has received a suspended prison sentence following the fatal crushing of four workers at an excavation site in Norfolk.

The Court at the Old Bailey heard that on 21 January 2011 the men were constructing a large steel structure as part of the foundation for a large Pressure Test Facility (PTF) at Claxton Engineering Services in Great Yarmouth.

The structure, which weighed several tonnes, collapsed on top of the group. A large-scale emergency response took place to try and rescue the trapped workers.

Adam Taylor, 28, 41-year-old Peter Johnson and brothers Thomas Hazelton, 26 and Daniel Hazelton, 30, were all pronounced dead at the scene.

The excavation for the horizontal PTF was more than 23m long, 3m wide and 2m deep. The horizontal steel cage being constructed would have weighed about 32 tonnes when completed.

The group were working for Hazegood Construction Ltd. Daniel Hazelton was an employee, while the other three were self-employed contractors. Encompass Project Management Ltd was the principal contractor, with Hazegood operating as a contractor.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found serious flaws in the planning, management and monitoring of this complex project on the part of Claxton as well as Encompass and its company director David Groucott.

Claxton Engineering Services Ltd of Ferryside, Ferry Road, Norwich pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. The company was fined £500,000 and ordered to pay costs of £100,000.

Encompass Project Management Ltd of The Gables, Old Market Street, Thetford, Norfolk pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000.

David Groucott of Diss, Norfolk, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37(1) of Health and Safety at Work Act. He was sentenced to a seven and a half month custodial sentence, suspended for two years. He was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work within 12 months, and also ordered to pay costs of £7,500.

Charges against Hazegood Construction Ltd were ordered to lie on file.

HSE Construction Division Head of Operations Annette Hall said: “Those sentenced today failed the four workers who died. They didn’t carry out their legal duties, leading to the events which caused their deaths.

“This was a long term, large scale and complex civil engineering project which needed to be planned, designed, managed and monitored effectively. The tragedy here is that, in the months leading up to the accident, any one of these parties could and should have asked basic questions about building the structure safely. Such an intervention could have avoided the tragic outcome of this entirely preventable accident.”

In millions of households across the UK, teenagers (and their parents), face an anxious few weeks as the GCSE examinations get underway.

Sitting on average 15 exams in a range of subjects, as well as facing exam pressure, school leavers also must contend with making some big decisions regarding their future.

Options post-16 include staying on at school, going to college or pursuing an apprenticeship.

While each path has its merits, apprenticeships are enjoying somewhat of a resurgence, with the government putting an emphasis on creating new apprenticeships for eager youngsters through the apprenticeship levy which provides funds for employers looking to invest in apprenticeship schemes.

Five reasons to choose an apprenticeship:

Young people can start earning straightaway
Apprenticeships are paid training courses which involve on the job learning and typically day release to attend college. Apprentices are paid an hourly rate which varies depending on industry and the type of apprenticeship they are doing. With many young people keen to start earning as soon as possible they are a great way to learn and earn.

Get insider knowledge on an industry
When deciding on a career many of us do so without any real idea of what it is like to do the job. An apprenticeship gives young people an insight into their chosen industry, helping them to decide whether it’s the career path for them.

Build transferrable skills
Whatever industry the apprenticeship is in, from day one apprentices are building workplace skills that will carry them through their working life. Skills such as time management, teamworking and communication skills are always desired by employers.

Career kick-start
For those lucky enough to know which career path they wish to take; an apprenticeship gives young people a helping hand into their chosen career.

Train up to degree level
An apprenticeship offers a young person a recognised qualification and there is a choice of levels to train up to, including intermediate which is equivalent to five good GCSEs, advanced – two A levels and higher which can be studied up to degree level.

With rising student debt and a potential skills shortage on the horizon, particularly within engineering IT and care work, apprenticeships are a great choice for both ambitious young people and businesses across all sectors.

Working with thousands of local trades, Checkatrade understand the value a committed apprentice can bring to a small business. Along with bringing fresh ideas, apprentices can help to boost productivity, ease recruitment issues and help businesses of all sizes grow their talent pool and invest in their staff, in turn boosting morale.
www.checkatrade.com

www.gov.uk/take-on-an-apprentice/overview

Insulation and interior building products distributor CCF, has announced Tim Bryant of T Byrant Builders, as the winner of its Trade Superhero competition and a trip to New York City this month.

Tim was crowned victorious after an independent panel of judges read about his superhero efforts to fix a drain in time for a children’s Christingle Service, and freeing a toddler who was locked inside a house – all in the same day.

The competition, which was launched as part of the CCF Insulation Campaign with suppliers Celotex, Isover, Kingspan, Knauf Insulation and Rockwool, that invited trade professionals to share what makes them a superhero.

Tim Bryant, winner of the CCF Trade Superhero competition, said: “I’m not sure I’m quite a superhero but more like being the right guy in the right place at the right time. I am thrilled that CCF felt I was deserving enough of this award and to be making a difference in my everyday job. I’m also really looking forward to making fantastic memories with my wife and children in New York City this May.”

Tessa Cocksedge, Marketing Manager at CCF, said: “The competition was very fierce and we had lots of impressive superhero stories, but our judges felt that Tim, who came to the rescue not once but twice in one day, really demonstrated what being a Trade Superhero is all about. CCF is committed to being there for the trade who are there in-turn for their own customers.”
 
www.ccfltd.co.uk

Once a building project is completed, does the waste from the site get re-used and recycled or is it straight to the landfill? The industry standard PAS 402 is helping construction firms meet their waste management targets. Reconomy explains more. 

PAS 402 is a strict code of conduct that certifies that all construction and demolition materials go into skips that get taken to be recycled and reused in an appropriate way.

The code was developed in conjunction with the British Standards Institution (BSI), which expects waste management firms to demonstrate procedures in several key areas of waste management, including landfill diversion and materials recovery.

This means that construction firms can produce authoritative information when they undertake a waste management audit for new building projects, making it easier to access the right contractor for the job, giving firms a greater chance of achieving the best or most cost-effective levers of reuse and recycling.

What is PAS 402?

Pas 402 was created in 2009 by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the (Construction Excellence in Wales (CEW); the success of the framework has meant that it is now a common aspect of many waste management audits throughout the UK.

Each waste management company must report their recovery rates under the scheme including details about what these materials are such as metals, abestos and plasterboards and where the materials go. Their landfill tonnage is recorded, which increases the motivation for re-use. This has to be verified by an inspector and then the recovery rates are evaluated by the UK Accreditation Service (UKAS).

The benefits for construction firms

To make sure that waste is dealt with in a legal and responsible way, construction firms have a duty of care regarding waste materials and how they are disposed of. Because of PAS 402, each waste contractor is attached with an annual report which details their zero waste ambition targets allowing them to review the recovery rates of the materials they handle. This ensures that performance rates between firms are competitive, allowing construction firms to identify the best waste management solution for their project.

With the Landfill Tax constantly rising, waste is an expensive part of the construction process. From April it increased from £84.40 per tonne to £86.10, with a further rise to £88.95 next year. Pas 402 allows the construction industry to establish their performance, under the sustainability bench marks BREEAM and WRAP. This will lead to greater efficiencies in relation to the increase in resources.

Wales: Leading the way

Since it was created as a pilot project in 2009, PAS 402 has contributed significantly towards Wales’ ambition to achieve zero waste by 2050. More than eighty waste management companes have been independently inspected by UKAS, which resulted in the diversion of more than two million tonnes of waste from landfill. In addition, £17million has been saved by recovering an additional 148,358 tonnes.

The scheme that has been known as Green Compass since 2013, was launched by CEW to tackle the unreliability of waste reporting data, which was minimising the amount of waste that could be recycled. To make sure that the scheme was delivered properly, CEW ensured that the industry was involved in writing the PAS, with 10 ‘pathfinder’ companies invited to take part and provide their input.

The resulting document was practical and one that the industry could support. To stay within the project until completion, all 10 pathfinder companies road-tested the PAS at every stage and evaluated its feasibility. These companies now have a sense of ownership of the PAS and are its strongest advocates.

Conclusion

The success of PAS 402 has increased efficiency rates in the waste firms, and has allowed them to recycle more materials overall, winning the confidence and respect of the construction industry. What this means, is that rather than neglecting waste, the construction industry now considers it as a valued asset.

www.reconomy.com

See more on PAS 402 with Skill Builder.