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HSE prosecutes window installation company for health and safety failings (9 February 2016)

Date: 09/02/2016
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, HSE prosecutes window installation company for health and safety failings

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a company after carrying out a dangerous window installation above the public highway in London’s West End.

Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd carried out a window installation at Aldford House, Park Street in London between 19 and 20 January 2015.

An HSE investigation found that the installation had placed the company’s workers and members of the public at risk of suffering serious injuries or a fatality.

The HSE investigation into the work was launched after a member of the public provided photographs of workers leaning out of window openings 8 metres above ground level.

They also provided a video showing the workers dropping part of a window, which fell to the ground and missed a nearby pedestrian.

The company had failed to provide equipment, such as scaffolding, which would have prevented the workers and window falling.

None of the workers had received any formal training and no one was appointed to supervise the work. HSE also found that the risks associated with the work had not been sufficiently assessed.

The court heard the company had 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, Rashinda Joshi, despite his lack of relevant training and experience.

The work at Aldford House was halted when HSE served a Prohibition Notice. The court heard the company had previously been given advice by HSE in connection with work at height – and that an audit by Ideal Glazing’s bank had previously identified a range of relevant health and safety failings.

The court heard that the written warnings were not heeded by the firm, however.

On Wednesday, 3 February at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd of 29 The Green, Southall in Middlesex pleaded guilty to breaches of Regulation 6(3) and 10(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The company was fined £36,000 and ordered to pay £1,386 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers said:

“Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd put the lives of workers and members of the public at risk.

“People should be able to walk down a pavement without being exposed to the risk of a heavy window falling eight metres onto them.

“The company’s standards were appalling – and this was particularly unacceptable as previous warnings had been blatantly disregarded.

“This is a case where equipment such as scaffolding was not provided. It’s vital that law abiding companies have confidence they will not lose work to others who under quote them because they take shortcuts at the expense of safety.

“Thanks to the member of the public who alerted us, we were able to avoid the workers or any pedestrians being injured or killed.

“We encourage people to report unsafe work to us, so we can act to protect workers and the public.”

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