A demolition contractor has been fined £134,000 after two men fell 7m at a derelict nightclub, suffering serious injuries.
Features
Demolition firm fined after worker cracks skull and second man breaks back in fall
By
on 01 February 2019
Cheshire Demolition and Excavation Contractors Limited was demolishing the derelict nightclub in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, when the incident happened on 15 November 2016.
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how the two workers had climbed into a pick bin, lifted by an excavator arm. When it suddenly released, both men were ejected from the bin and fell onto a pile of bricks and rubble. One worker suffered a fractured skull, and a second worker sustained a broken back.
The company, of Moss Lane, Macclesfield, was fined with £6,303.04 for breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was ordered to pay £6,303.04 costs.
HSE found in its investigation that Cheshire Demolition and Excavation Contractors Limited did not properly plan the work and failed to provide suitable access equipment.
The company had provided a scissor lift on site, but decided to remove it from the site prior to the incident. The operatives had no other means of accessing areas at height.
Investigating HSE inspector David Argument said: “These risks could so easily have been avoided if the work at height was properly planned and appropriately supervised. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards”.
FEATURES
Why good visual management makes for safer construction sites
By Kevin Rowe, SafetyBuyer on 20 May 2025
The hazards and risks on construction sites constantly change as a project progresses, but carefully designed and placed signboards can both communicate crucial safety instructions and reinforce the employer’s expectations in terms of everyday safe behaviour.
Utility asset strikes: why greater sharing of information makes a ‘virtuous circle’ for safer digging
By Richard Broome, LSBUD (LinesearchbeforeUdig) on 19 May 2025
A free-to-access database of underground pipes and cables in the UK is helping contractors to avoid dangerous and disruptive accidental asset strikes during digging works – and looks set for further expansion as more utility owners sign up.
How is safety in the construction sector advancing? Trends to watch
By Liz Longman, Terra Firma 360 on 20 May 2025
Virtual College by Netex speaks to Liz Longman, health and safety chartered professional and director of Terra Firma 360, to uncover how health and safety in the construction sector is advancing and hear about five key trends safety professionals should have on their radar.