Building company fined £234,000 after worker falls from platform

A building company received a fine after a worker suffered serious injuries after falling from a platform in London.

(Image courtesy of HSE)

The worker was working for Henry Construction Projects Limited at a building site on Kensington High Street when the incident happened on 2 March 2021.

At the time, they were working on the ten-foot-high platform when it collapsed.

The worker sustained serious injuries to both legs, leaving them with ongoing long-term difficulties with movement, basic functions, and ability to work.

The worker, who is from Romania, was working on the demolition of a building as part of the construction of a new commercial and residential building.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Henry Construction Projects Ltd failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of persons working at height.

Henry Construction Projects Limited, of Church Road, Cranford, Hounslow, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Fined £234,000, the building company also has to pay £12,369 in costs at Westminster Magistrates Court on 16 May 2023.

HSE inspector Saif Deen said: “Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. This incident was completely preventable. Employers must control the risk of working at height to ensure that it is carried out in a manner which is so far as is reasonably practicable safe.”

CIP’s Construction Health and Safety Manual contains comprehensive guidance on how to work safely at height.