An Essex scaffolder and a labourer he employed risked their lives and endangered the public around them with precarious and unsafe work at a Chelsea property.
Christopher Harker, 35, from Epping, trading as C&H Scaffolding, clambered up and down the outside of a four-storey scaffold in Cheyne Walk on 20 March 2014, completely unconcerned by the fact a fall could have proved fatal.
He and his assistant also casually leaned through openings up to 10 metres above the ground and nonchalantly passed materials to each other that could have slipped and caused serious harm to anyone walking below.
The unsafe work continued in full view of an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), despite Mr Harker knowing he was present and after the inspector had tried to warn him of the danger.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (19 November) that there was a complete absence of any form of edge protection on the scaffold to prevent or mitigate falls. Equally, neither worker was wearing a safety harness, there were no access ladders to some of the work areas, and there were large gaps between the boards that also posed a significant fall risk.
Mr Harker used a system where he moved boards from the upper and lower levels of the scaffolding depending on where he or the labourer were working, rather than ensuring that both areas were sufficiently boarded to begin with.
He also casually tossed objects and materials, such as scaffolding clips, to his colleague on the level below him. This not only put the assistant at risk as he moved to catch them, but also members of the public exiting a doorway directly under the scaffold, who could have been struck and injured.
The court was told that the police were required to attend the site such was Mr Harker’s hostile attitude towards the HSE inspector. It was only then that he accepted the risks he had created as the legal dutyholder responsible for the work.
He subsequently apologised unreservedly for his behaviour, complied with all aspects of the HSE investigation and vowed to undertake future scaffolding projects in a safe and legal manner.
Christopher Harker, of Coronation Hill, Epping, Essex, was fined a total of £800 and ordered to pay £577 in costs after pleading guilty to two separate breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The relatively low penalty reflected the defendant’s limited financial means, early guilty plea and full co-operation throughout.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers commented:
“The scaffolding work at Cheyne Walk posed a clear danger to the two workers as well as members of the public exiting the building under the scaffolding.
“The failings were abundantly obvious and trained scaffolder Mr Harker knew this, which is probably why he reacted in the manner he did. He was caught red-handed, panicked and tried to make the problem go away as he saw it.
“However, HSE inspectors cannot and will not turn a blind eye when safety is compromised in this manner – as the scaffolder now fully accepts. He understands that safety rules and standards are designed to protect life and limb, and that cutting corners in order to get a job done is simply not acceptable.”
good lad put exclusion zone up cone in front of the door!!
Omar Djeebet standard day at the office? Apart from their not on there phones…
Should of climbed up the sways lol
scaffs don’t fall off scaffolds idiots touching nuts n bolts do!!!
Just a normal day at work .only when suits .
If they fall another scaff will rise…. In the words of Sir Elton its the circle of life :-))
Holier than thou mag!
maybe this guy finish kalas.
Exactly
Stena stair lifts soon #scaffoldersareadifferantbreed
I could beat these people so I joined them, no fun in the game anymore
Health and safety when it suits them in the office. How many times do we go to a job and there are no welfare facilities
Sack him
As long as your steady away with the climbing I don’t see the problem we’ve all done it on a daily.
Another day at the office!
unlucky to get a fine for that if they had an arl vest on they prob wouldn’t of brought attention to themselves though
Brace you mean ‘and I bet no one on here has ever slide down a brace before
If everything was done by the rule books, nothing would get done! It’s a dangerous job, just be carful!
I wouldn’t mind the rope is on the floor next to them
You hear of more injuries and deaths now than you ever did
Climbing down sways everyday
I didn’t think about that mate sorry x
Can’t see what the problem is!!!!other than someone who dosnt know how to scaffold is trying to tell a scaffolder how to do his job!
Sure that’s me on cruddas park flats
It’s all about money lads
The more rules they come out with the more men in suits earn
Men in suits who have never done manual work
People like scaffmag and thier sponsors earn a tidy penny on telling us not to do this and that
Carry on
Be real scaffs not pussys
Should have used the rope
You’s all say what’s wrong with that, but a guy I worked with fell, not hooked on. Leaned on a puncheon thought it was a standard.
RIP
Jack Stanbridge
Looks fine to me..!!
Died
If u died doin something stupid how would your family take it ? It goes beyond your work . My mate does from lack of ppe he was 26 had 1 kid and was brilliant scaff .
I’d say no myself but there is ways . I’m old school so there’s always danger . Taking handrail off and not using scaff steps is far easier but safety moving forward not backwards.
I do but this shots dangerous my mate died from falling of a scaffold and the aftermath is heartbreaking dan it’s gonna effect me forever
Happy hour across the road….
Am a fkn wa!!!
Cheers me dear, 4 pints of Stella & a packet of pork scratchings for the labourer!
Last year the biggest death rate was people using pasma
Office people just don’t know how things are meant to be done
Good lad min
N Cowboys walk funny
They’re being extra careful to me. We always climbed the outside and slid down the sways. Quicker
If you make the job too safe scaffolders will loose their wits and sense of sharpness this is how I learned too scaffold and this is how I scaffold today!! The fear is what keeps you alive!!
Jase James
Just a days work
21 years scaffolding an I don’t see a real issue ! Just more HSE crap .
Nowt wrong crack on.U0001f60f
Or just how many of falls from height are actually scaffolders?
They do go a bit OTT sometimes ! How many of you scaffs chain up gear like this or have ?????
I do that everyday carrying a bucket of fittings with me most times it’s what most scaffs call normal ….
We’ve been doing this for years we know what we’re doing
I’m sure every scaff does this everyday!!! Hse wankers !
Back in the days of more injuries and deaths you mean…?
Scott Ayres Mick Robis Sheldon George Brad Higgins Clifford Baker big jim haha nart
lmao son
Steve Key
Bang on
Complete bollox, scaffolding gets heavily scrutinised, much more than any other trade, why don’t stunt men get fined? All i see in that photo is scaffolders putting up scaffolding! They are professionals at what they do, no one is making them do it!
3 points of contact what’s the problem?
Pair of knobs in my eyes
Terry Church
Normal day for real staffs U0001f44d
He’s 4got his hard hat
Snidy Ralph and ally long
Fake Ralph #gotsumdough
Nothing wrong with that
Ralph trackie and emping longens on 9ft horns U0001f4af% #Geezer
That’s me U0001f602U0001f602U0001f602
How else do you get down?
Day rate and HSE has killed scaffolding!
All about the glory tone
Save the massive emps till the fluffs on the scene danU0001f46dU0001f4aa
I done it every day for over twenty years so f,ing what. my risk ,GET A LIFE ,
Dnt needa harness’s wen u wrap ya shoelaces round the tube “,
U0001f3bb
That’s how everyone dus it now Ryan Rice Colin Court
Tea break 😉
Look
Mum no hands! Why’s that labourer standing still? Sacked
Trying to justify there job three day course wankers!…….
That’s how all scaffolders ud it coz my bf dus it to Danny Mouth Hilton
Can’t see anything wrong here
Fink u no it
This makes us look good
What’s the problem. He ain’t dead so it’s all safe
Stephen Wright this is us lol
Gotta act like a geezer wen there snatch about U0001f602
I do that everyday #24/7scaffolding
You cant make money on a price goin sg410 u have to bounce up the scaffold like a monkey part n parcel wi the game
Looks like the back of the block. Where’s the danger to the public. What a knob.
Smaller firms do it every day unless it’s a site were u have to
Can you put up a scaffold unprecariously ?
We all know the rules ….out of sight out of mind
No harness no steps U0001f602U0001f602U0001f602U0001f602
Daniel Robert Tidy he’s only taking risks coz there’s fluff about #geezer
It’s not clever . Goes to show there’s still a long way to go in the construction industry
The Pratt prob called him dwn then took photo
It’s on of them!?
Should we leave the builder/roofer a ladder!!!? (Answer) we haven’t got one with us… Hurry up then shag! Home time!…
They are just after the lead…..
Fact!
I miss doin streetworks!
Can’t see anything rong with it! Wos all the fuss
Who is the sad person,going around taking these photos (GET A LIFE)
Ryan Fallon U0001f446U0001f446U0001f446
Normal day for the real scaffs.
Nothing unsafe there in my eyes looks like a good 2 handed gang
All I can say that we are quilfied monkeys and that means we are capable of anything
It’s one of them? Should we leave the builders/ roofers… A
Darren Welsh ha ha
Wots a matter wi that Ian Macdonald
Nothing wrong with that.we know what we are doing ,we’re not going to put our own lives at risk !! It’s what we do.
Obviously a two man gang on price work..
In the real world we call that normally come on people look back to the days before rule books