Construction firms' fine a warning to facilities management businesses?
November 25th 17:20 Health and Safety
Fines totalling over £126,000 have been levied against two construction firms for their roles in a fatal accident on a building site three years ago.
McAleer & Rushe of Cookstown, Northern Ireland and Lee Smith Carpentry of Romsey, Hampshire were handed the penalties after an accident at the Jury's Inn site in Witan Gate, Milton Keynes left one man dead and two more seriously injured.
The case may encourage companies involved with construction facilities management to ensure they are meeting safety standards at all times and Stephen Hartley, principal inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said it is "totally unacceptable for companies to disregard the safety of their workers".
All three fell and became trapped under rubble when scaffolding they were using on the site collapsed and Mr Hartley added that the incident could have been avoided had the scaffolding been "designed, erected and managed properly".
In related news, Lahrie Mohamed, a property developer from South Woodford, London, was recently fined £110,000 after he was found to have put workers at risk at two sites in the capital.
