Contractor penalised for safety breaches

Categories: General Health and Safety |


Contractor penalised for safety breaches A contractor has been prosecuted after a child escaped with minor injuries injury when a 17 metre-wide shop hoarding collapsed on him in Merseyside.

The two-year-old was out with his father and grandparents at the Racecourse Retail Park at Aintree when the hoarding outside a new shop overturned as the family were walking past.

The family were all left with cuts and bruises.

The firm pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 28 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) regulations 2007 by failing to ensure that the hoarding was properly designed and built.

It was given a fine of £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,273.

"What should have been a pleasurable day out turned into an unpleasant and frightening experience for this family," Kevin Jones, a Health and Safety Executive inspector, commented.

"Not only did they sustain injuries, but I can imagine that the panic they experienced when their baby disappeared under the hoarding would have been considerable."

Official figures show the construction industry to be one of the most dangerous in which to work.

Britons who are employed within the sector are therefore required to use appropriate workwear. ADNFCR-1200-ID-800107320-ADNFCR

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