Newcastle Crown Court heard how a bricklayer was on the first floor of a new build domestic property when the floor gave way at one side. The worker and approximately 70 building blocks fell 2.4 metres to the ground. The man suffered a broken foot.
Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Ltd was running the site at Richmond Park, Croft, Sheffield, where the incident occurred. The injured person was one of a three-man brick laying team instructed to work on the first floor of an incomplete property.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, which occurred on 2nd March 2015, found that the supporting joists of the first floor had not been fully installed as per the house designer鈥檚 instructions, leaving it unstable.
Balfour Beatty Regional Construction Ltd of Wilton Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 28 (1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. It was fined 拢230,000 and ordered to pay costs of 拢11,915.
HSE inspector Alan Sheldon, said: 鈥淚t is vital that companies following design instructions and ensure that structures are stable. This incident could have been much more serious for a number of workers and should act as a reminder to everyone within construction鈥搕hat protecting workers鈥� health and safety is vital in such a potentially dangerous industry.鈥�
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