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15 August 2005 - Company Was Too Busy To
Check Safety Standards
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The excuse of a family run construction company, North Homes,
Buchan, Scotland for putting their workers in danger when working at height on
scaffolding, was one of being "too busy to check safety standards".
Officials from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the
North Homes site, where 4 workers were found to be working on roofs and
scaffolds without the necessary preventative measures as legally required and a
Prohibition Notice was issued. The men were working at height
without guard rails, barriers and toe-boards.
Six days later, the inspectors returned to the site and found
the incomplete scaffold still being used.
The company admitted their failure to comply with the
Prohibition Notice and said, "they were too busy to check safety standards" and
were find only £1,750 by Sheriff Malcolm Garden, who said:
"This is a serious matter. It is a case where safety is being
put secondly to profit and the amount of work which is being taken on".
A jail sentence, (one of the few offences under the Health and
Safety at Work Act) can be the result of a failure to abide by an HSE
Prohibition Notice, which perhaps should be applied in cases such as this.
Health and Safety standards must be the first priority within
all businesses, which in turn not only prevents accidents and fatalities, but
also provides greater profits for the company.
Scotland has the worst levels of prosecutions, injury and
fatalities, with the lowest penalties for safety offences in the UK.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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