Two Hertfordshire companies have been fined over £57,000 after a construction worker was run over by a telehandler
On the 14th April 2015, a construction site worker, who has still not been named, was working on the through road on the site when the telehandler reversed into him leading to severe injuries his body passed under the vehicle.
Despite sustaining a chipped vertebra, muscle and tendon damage, as well as a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, the construction site worker was lucky to survive, as he did not make contact with the wheels.
Both Bellway Homes, the principal contractor and A D Bly Construction who were subcontracting at the site were both found guilty of failing to fulfil their health & safety duties. Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was discovered that they disregarded the importance of managing and controlling risks associated to vehicles operating on construction sites. This led to further disregard towards the risks of someone potentially being struck on site.
The principal contractor has been pulled up by the HSE previously and were issued a warning to improve the quality of their construction site facilities. They had been issued hefty fines on a previous occasion – one for £35,000 in May 2015 after the collapse of a temporary work platform, the other for £10,000 in April 2014 after a temporary timber handrail gave way. Both instances lead to two site workers sustaining severe injuries.
Health and Safety at Work reports that both companies pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. A D Bly Construction were fined £26,000, with further costs of £5,271, whilst Bellway Homes were fined a huge £31,500 alongside £48,600 in costs.
Source: Health and Safety at Work, Groundworker survives being run over by telehandler on Bellway site, 15th March 2018. Read the full article.