Property developer fined for health and safety breach
A Sheffield property developer is being fined for endangering the public. A building collapsed, sending tonnes of brick and stone rubble into a shop roof of a neighbouring location. Two workers barely managed to escape any damage. The developer Rasul put lives at risk for failing to follow proper health and safety at work procedures. He deliberately ignored legal notices regarding the demolition work and the risk assessments that were conducted by regulators. The HSE conducted safety audits of the site telling the developer that work could not continue until changes were made, but the developer ignored the audits and information for what needed to be fixed.
The building became weaker since the developer continued to work even though a prohibition notice was given in 2008. The work continued in 2010. This is why anyone near the building was at risk. The two-storey building collapsed at the gable allowing part of the building to crash through another. It was fortunate that the workers in the shop were unharmed or that no one else was harmed during the building collapse.
The company has been fined £6,000 and must pay close to £2,500 in other costs. It does not seem a lot since they were given a notice to stop work, but there is hope the fine is enough that the developer will learn their lesson. If not, the HSE is still watching to make certain that the company cannot endanger any more lives.
