A housing developer in Doncaster have been fined £30,000 and ordered to pay legal costs of £16,000 after a bricklayer was seriously injured in a construction accident at work.
Anton Burrows, 24, was reportedly working as a member of a sub-contracted bricklaying team on the Strata Homes Suede Development site in Huddersfield when the incident occurred. He was crushed by a 660-pound steel beam, resulting in extensive injuries to his spine. These injuries have left Mt Burrows a quadriplegic, paralysed from the chest down.
Strata Homes pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations relating to lifting equipment, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company to be at least partly liable for Mr Burrow’s injuries. HSE inspector Alasdair Green explained:
“Had the lifting operation been properly planned and supervised, in line with the regulations, the Approved Code of Practice and HSE’s guidance, this devastating incident which could have very easily killed someone, would have been avoided.”
This case illustrates not only why health and safety regulations exist, but also why employers’ liability insurance is compulsory for UK businesses. If you don’t have any sort of professional insurance policy in place for your business, the costs of an HSE fine or worker compensation could be crippling.