Breach of Safety Regulations by CRN Contracts Ltd. Leads to Prosecution
August 6th, 2009CRN Contracts Ltd. (previously Concrete Repairs NW Ltd) a Birkenhead based Superstore Range was found in breach of Section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The prosecution resulted following the death of an employee, David Battisson when he fell from the rooftop of one of the stores of the range.
The employee was engaged in putting anti corrosion paint on the bolts of the rugged roof along with another employee, when he slipped and fell through the PVC light and crashed into the floor ten meters below. He could not be saved despite being taken to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan and succumbed to his injuries in mid-2005.
His case was taken up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and was heard by the Manchester Crown Court, Minshull Street, who fined the company, asking it to make a payment to the extent of £25,000 along with costs of £14,086. The company has pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against them as well as overall failure to observe safety standards in the stores.
Warren Pennington, HSE Inspector, said that it was startling how companies default in observing the bare minimum health and safety regulations, which has led to the death of an employee. He also pointed out that maintenance of roofs and works at heights entailed grave dangers and if safety rules are not followed the results can be disastrous. He reminded that companies must observe the rules strictly to avoid such incidents from taking place. It is a requirement to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment on all work undertaken where there is a risk of injury as a result of a fall from height, Working at Height training will benefit organisations in helping to minimise the risks of work at height and bring work procedures up to date with the requirements of new legislation.
He also pointed out that CRN Contracts could have avoided the accident by providing boards for protection of the roof lights and also by providing sufficient supervision of the repairs. He said that the company had risked many more lives by not barricading the area just below the repair area, where customers were freely moving.
