From Cradle To Nearly A Grave
Two men working in a cradle on a London residential tower, with a front elevation being constructed with windows and sliding doors, have cheated an early...
Read Full ArticleA builder called David Beadle has been given a suspended prison sentence after he put the lives of workers at risk when constructing a loft conversion – using a dodgy scaffold and no edge protection.
Beadle, trading as Beadle the Builders, failed to comply with a prohibition notice issued by the Health & Safety Executive in relation to unsafe working at height at the site on Woodyates Road in south-east London.
A proactive investigation by HSE found Beadle allowed workers under his control, on at least three occasions, to continue using a scaffold which was not properly constructed. It was a potentially dangerous structure at risk of collapse and in breach of the prohibition notice.
No edge protection
Sixty-three-year-old Beadle also failed to ensure that suitable and sufficient measures were in place to prevent workers falling a distance that would have caused personal injury. No edge protection had been installed to the side of the roof, the flat dormer roof, the front elevation of the roof and safe access was not provided.
Community service
He was given a 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months and was told to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Beadle of Rochester Way, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulation 2005 and 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was also ordered to pay £6,043 in costs at the hearing at Bexley Magistrates Court on 7 August 2024.
Coming for you
HSE Inspector Emma Bitz says: “We will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who fail to do all that they can to keep workers safe.
“The risks from working at height are well known, as are the control measures required to reduce those risks.
“Falls from height remain the largest cause of workplace deaths in the construction industry.”
Picture: A builder has avoided an immediate prison sentence after failing to protect workers by allowing then to use a dangerous scaffold with no edge protection.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
26th September 2024