Firm and its director in court after scaffold collapses in street
A firm based in Cambridgeshire and its director has been in court after a scaffold collapsed into a road.
What happened?
The 11 metres long and 4.5 metres high scaffold fell across the pavement and onto the road in Stretham, just three days after it was erected in front of a house by Crusaders Scaffolding Ltd and its director, Gary Driver.
An investigation into the incident found that the scaffold had not been securely attached to the house in any way, and plastic sheeting had been tied to the outside of the two-storey structure to protect passes by. The plastic, however, acted as a sail and caused the scaffold to blow over in the wind.
What was the outcome?
Crusaders Scaffolding Ltd pleaded guilty to breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 200, and was fined a total of £7,500 and ordered to pay £526 in costs.
The director of the firm, Gary John Driver, was fined £5,000 with £500 costs after also pleading guilty to the same breaches.
HSE inspector, John Berezansky, said:
“It was extremely fortunate that no-one was working on the
scaffold at the time and that no-one or nothing was hit
when it fell. This is a busy High Street used by
children to get to and from the local school.
“Had the scaffold fell during the morning or afternoon
school run it could have been a different story.
“The scaffold fell well below the required standard.
In essence, Crusaders Scaffolding created an
unsecured sail that fell over in the wind.
“Gary Driver was directly involved in the commissioning and
construction of the scaffold. The risks associated with
scaffolding are well known in the industry and to
have not secured the structure was
a basic error.”
If you have been affected by an accident such as this, and you would like expert advice, contact Hampson Hughes Solicitors today on 0800 888 6888 or email
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