When the pictures taken by the public revealed the shocking level of risk the workers were exposed to
What happened?
Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd, a company which manufactures and installs windows, was carrying out work in London’s west end in January 2015. There were no measures to prevent workers falling. Workers were leaning out of window openings eight metres above the ground, and part of a window was dropped onto the public area below and missed a nearby pedestrian.
The company were putting their workers and members of the public at risk of suffering serious injuries or a fatality, and a member of the public provided photos and a video of the unsafe work.
The HSE carried out an investigation and found the company had:
Failed to provide equipment such as scaffolding which would have prevented the workers and window falling;
Not provided workers with any formal training, and no one was appointed to supervise the work;
not sufficiently assessed the risks associated with the work;
Failed to invest in equipment for working at height; and
Had a health and management system which relied entirely on the company’s managing director, despite his lack of relevant training and experience.
The work was halted when HSE served a Prohibition Notice (PN) . The company had previously been given advice by HSE in connection with work at height and that an audit had previously identified a range of relevant health and safety failings. Neither written warning was heeded by the firm.
Legal Outcome
Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 6(3) and 10(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £36,000 and ordered to pay £1,386 in costs in February 2016.
What can we learn from what happened?
The pictures provided by the member of the public are available, and it is shocking just how much risk the workers are exposing themselves and anyone walking down the pavement to.
This type of work is not only amongst the most hazardous, but is also the most visible. Thankfully no-one was hurt, and the falling object was a classic near miss, and this case is a reminder that criminal law applies not just when someone is hurt, but also when someone could have been hurt. It also highlights the role a member of the public can play when spotting unsafe work and how the HSE will respond.
Source of Information
SHP Online