Legal News
£26,000 penalty after collapsing wall kills worker (2 August 2017)
Date: 02/08/2017
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a northeast-based company, after the collapse of a wall caused the death of an employee.
Steven Ratcliffe, 43 – an employee at Mike Neesam & Son Limited – was working on a toilet refurbishment project on Hall Hill Farm in County Durham. As he attempted to walk out of a shallow trench, he was struck and crushed by a collapsing wall weighing approximately 2.2 tonnes and died as a result of crush injuries.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive into the circumstances of the incident found that the company had failed to take the appropriate measures to prevent structure from collapsing – the wall was left unsupported at the time of the incident and put employees at risk of harm.
At Peterlee Magistrates’ Court, Mike Neesam & Son Limited of Coundon Industrial Estate in Bishop Auckland pleaded guilty of breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,928.28 with a victim surcharge of £120.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Woodhall said:
“The company failed to identify the risks associated with free standing walls – and as a result this ultimately cost Mr Ratcliffe his life.
“This tragic case should act as a reminder to all duty holders that appropriate safety measures need to be taken to protect employees at all times.”
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