Balfour Beatty has been fined £230,000 after a worker injured his foot following the collapse of a floor at a house building site.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how a bricklayer was on the first floor of a new build domestic property when the floor gave way at one side. The worker and approximately 70 building blocks slid 2.4 metres, vertically, to the ground. He suffered fractures to bones in his foot.
The incident, which happened on 2 March 2015, was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive, which found the supporting joists of the first floor had not been fully installed.
Balfour Beatty Regional Construction, of Wilton Road, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 28 (1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £230,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,915.
HSE inspector Alan Sheldon, said: “It is vital that companies following design instructions and ensure that structures are stable. This incident could have been much more serious for a number of workers and should act as a reminder to everyone within construction that protecting workers’ health and safety is vital in such a potentially dangerous industry.
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