Two companies have been fined a total of £46,000 following an incident where a labourer sustained a fractured skull while working on a construction site in Runcorn.
The incident occurred on March 3, 2021, when a 43-year-old labourer employed by Total Brickwork (UK) Ltd was involved in the construction of new homes on Okell Street, Runcorn. The site was under the management of Challenger Building Services Ltd, and both companies have faced penalties for their roles in the unfortunate event.
The victim had been assigned to clear debris and mortar left behind by bricklayers on the first floor of one of the new terraced properties. To access this area, he used a ladder placed at the stairwell opening, which had been temporarily covered with boards. While attempting to move one of these boards, he lost his footing and fell through the opening to the ground floor below.
The fall resulted in a fractured skull, multiple broken ribs, and the need for a collarbone plate insertion. The incident prompted an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which revealed significant safety deficiencies at the construction site.
The HSE found that both Challenger Building Services Limited, the principal contractor, and Total Brickwork (UK) Ltd, the contractor in charge of the work, had failed to adequately plan, manage, and monitor the work on-site to ensure safety measures were in place. The absence of appropriate safeguards to prevent falls from height put any worker accessing the first floor at risk.
Challenger Building Services Ltd, based in Horwich, Bolton, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulation 2015. The company was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £1,991.32 in costs at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on October 23, 2023.
Total Brickwork UK Ltd, located in Runcorn, Cheshire, also pleaded guilty, this time to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulation 2015. The company received a fine of £16,000 and was required to pay £1,991.32 in costs, with the sentence handed down on the same date.
HSE inspector David Brassington commented on the incident, stating, “This incident could so easily have been avoided had the risks associated with working on the upper floors been adequately assessed and measures been taken to protect the stairwell openings. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”