A building company has been fined after a demolition worker suffered serious injuries after falling from a platform in Kensington in London.
Ovidiu Dobra was working for Henry Construction Projects Limited at a building site on Kensington High Street when the incident happened on 2 March 2021.
Mr Dobra, 51 at the time, was working on the ten-foot high platform when it collapsed. He sustained serious injuries to both legs which has left him with ongoing long-term difficulties with movement, basic functions, and ability to work.
Mr Dobra, who is from Romania, was working on the demolition of a building as part of the construction of a new commercial and residential building.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Henry Construction Projects Ltd failed to take appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of persons working at height.
Henry Construction Projects Limited, of Church Road, Cranford, Hounslow, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £234,000 and ordered to pay £12,369 in costs at Westminster Magistrates Court on 16 May 2023.
HSE inspector Saif Deen said: “Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries.
“This incident was completely preventable.
“Employers must control the risk of working at height to ensure that it is carried out in a manner which is so far as is reasonably practicable safe.”
Notes to editors
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.
- More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
- Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
- HSE guidance on working at height is available.
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