Son pulled his father from rubble after building collapse
A Staffordshire building firm has been fined after two of its contractors fell through two floors of a building during unsafe renovation work.
Clark Brothers (Builders & Developers) Ltd, from Bilston, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court on 13 August after an HSE investigation revealed the company failed to properly plan, manage and supervise the refurbishment work.
The contractors, a father and son from Penkridge, aged 51 and 20, were working as bricklayers inside the former shop building on Bilston High Street on 25 June 2012, when the second floor on which they were working suddenly gave way.
The weight of the collapsing floor was such that it smashed through the first floor below, and sent the pair crashing all the way to the ground floor, leaving the father buried under rubble. The son had to pull him out from under the debris.
HSE inspectors found that the refurbishment was unsafe and immediately issued a Prohibition Notice to stop any further work at the site.
Clark Brothers (Builders & Developers) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the HSWA 1974, and was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay £1844 in costs.
Speaking after the hearing an HSE inspector said: “Nobody at the company had any refurbishment experience and no proper health and safety- related training. Their failure to manage this project placed workers and the public at serious risk.”
The two men, who have asked not to be named, avoided serious injury. They were both taken to hospital for treatment but were discharged later the same day with only relatively minor injuries.
“The fact that the father and son escaped relatively unharmed in this collapse is remarkable,” added the inspector. “A floor collapse, as with any unplanned demolition work, prevents very serious, or fatal injury.”
In mitigation, the company entered a guilty plea and cooperated fully with the investigation.
