A scaffolding company has been fined over ยฃ24K after scaffolding they had erected collapsed onto a neighbouring primary school.
Scaffolders from Swain Scaffolding had erected a 7m high gable end scaffold on a residential property in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan. Cardiff Magistrates’ Court heard that on 5 May 2017 at around 1:30pm, the scaffold collapsed onto a single storeyย roof above the playground of a neighbouringย school.
Shockingly at the same time, a group of young children wasย playing just meters away from the collapse, while just minutes before, the playgroundย had been full of schoolchildren on their lunch break.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the scaffolding was not designed or installed to withstand foreseeable loads. It was not tied to the adjacent building, nor did it have adequate buttressing or rakers and was essentially a freestanding structure. The investigation found that it was almost inevitable that the scaffolding would collapse, even in unremarkable weather conditions.
Swain Scaffolding Limited basedย in Cardiff was found guilty of breaching the Construction Design and Management Regulations and was fined ยฃ24,000 and ordered to pay ยฃ3452.50 in costs.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Gemma Pavey commented: โFailure to adequately design and install scaffolding, so that it can withstand foreseeable loads, creates risk to workers and members of the public who could be injured by an uncontrolled collapse.
โCompanies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.โ