Construction firm fined for health and safety at work incident
Landmark Groundswork in Esher was fined 160,000 pounds due to Bola Akinola narrowly escaping death owing to a safety failing at a construction site. The forty eight year old took a fall of 4m due to the steelwork supporting concrete at the Westerham, Kent construction site failing. The weight of the material was nine tonnes. The incident happened in 2009 leading to the hospitalisation of Mr. Akinola due to multiple fractures of his leg, arm, and pelvis. Mr. Akinola had to stay at the hospital for weeks and was absent from work for close to a year. His left arm has not yet returned to full mobility.
The HSE conducted health and safety audits of Landmark Groundworks Ltd finding serious safety regulation breaches. Mr. Akinola had been working on a refurbishment project that included a new basement near a vacant house. Landmark Groundworks was overseeing the project and providing supports for the steelwork.
A separate subcontractor was at the site when the incident occurred laying concrete floor planks for the ground floor. Four of those planks were on a beam which was not fixed. This means it was not able to support the several tonnes of concrete. The health and safety at work failings led to an injury of Bola Akinola. This man’s life has been changed forever because of the lack of planning for safety protocol. Businesses such as construction firms have one of the most dangerous situations where incidents can happen often if risk management is not properly applied.
