Labourer's death highlights need for safety compliance
February 16th 09:37 Health and Safety
The importance of complying with health and safety regulations in the demolition industry has been highlighted after failure to undertake the necessary risk assessments lead to the death of a labourer.
As a result of an incident in 2005, principal contractor John F Hunt Demolition of Essex and London-based sub-contractor Bayoak Demo were collectively fined £115,000.
The Old Bailey was told how the failure of the firms to carry out a full structural survey of Telstar House in Paddington, London resulted in the death of labourer Rafal Przestrzelski.
Following prosecution by the Health and safety Executive (HSE), Bayoak Demo was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,000 for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act after pleading guilty.
John F Hunt Demolition was fined £85,000 and ordered to pay £25,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) f the same act.
HSE inspector Giles Meredith said: "This was a lengthy joint investigation between the Metropolitan Police and HSE, which found Rafal Przestrzelski was the innocent victim of a basic error of judgement by others that cost him his life.
"There are lessons to be learned both about the importance of carrying out detailed surveys and also about making sure that the right people are consulted at the right time. The price of making an ill-informed decision about the structure was enormous."
