Overturning Tower Causes Injury and Long Term Psychological Effects (1 Viewer)

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John Doyle Construction Ltd of Welyn Garden City Herfordshire has been ordered to pay almost £17k in fines and prosecution costs after a scaffold tower overturned on a Liverpool construction site in July 2007.

The court heard that employees were moving the tower when it overturned and fell down an embankment. A workman removing lifting tackle from the scaffolding fell some 6m. He suffered back, pelvic and chest injuries along with long-term psychological effects.

Mark Cuff, HSE’s Investigating Inspector, said: “The scaffolding tower was being used during the construction of concrete columns, used to support the building’s floors. It was specifically designed to be lifted as a single unit, but the company decided to partially dismantle it and move it in two parts.

He added that the company should have “considered the implications of not following the procedures for lifting the scaffolding. Its failure to do so resulted in one of its employees being seriously injured, and it was only by chance that there wasn’t a fatality.”

Mr Baccino, a 49-year-old father of three, suffered back injuries in the fall and fractured his pelvis and chest. The incident has had a long-term psychological effect on him, and he has been unable to return to work.

Mr Baccino had only been working for John Doyle Construction for a few days when the incident happened. He said:

"I started working for the company on the Monday and the incident happened four days later. We were moving the scaffolding tower to a new location on the site when one of the lifting chains got caught.

"I’ve been in a lot of pain since the incident, and will never be able to do manual work again. Construction companies have to start listening more to their workers and stop thinking that they know all the answers.

"I hope they will learn from what has happened to me and improve health and safety in the future."

Source: Philip Poynter Construction Safety / Click Liverpool
 
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