Health and safety audits reveal carpenter killed while working
At a Bath University, a contractor was killed. The incident happened in 2007 but it has taken until now for a prosecution to be heard in the courts about the health and safety at work incident. The carpenter was working when a slab of concrete fell on him. He was working at the Claverton Down Campus and adjusting a metal prop. This prop was securing the concrete plank above him. It fell down on him and barely missed a co-worker. The HSE examined the issue with health and safety audits and found that Creagh was liable for the incident.
They have been fined £100,000 and £140,000 for court costs. The court was told the position and usage of the props were critical to safety, but the placement was left to the workers at the site meaning that proper oversight was not given to the situation. Since one end of the plank rested on asymmetric steel, it created a situation where the slab could fall if it was destabilised in any way. This is what happened, causing the death of the worker.
Construction sites are dangerous and require proper safety and health measures. If things are not up to code or regulations, it means a potential accident is just waiting to happen. Had the worker not moved the prop, things would have gone differently, but had placement of those props been proper his adjustment would not have been as critical according to findings.
Mitchell Winter
