Two scaffold inspectors have been prosecuted after forging safety certificates and a worker fell through a gap between the scaffolding and the building, resulting in serious injuries.
Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 26 March 2014, the 49-year old worker was working on a re-roofing project. As he stepped down from the untiled roof onto a fixed scaffold, he fell through a gap between the working platform of the scaffolding and the building.
He suffered fracture injuries to his spine and had to wear a back brace for eight weeks.
The scaffolding had been signed off as safe for use by Stephen Harper and Garry Arnold. The HSE investigation revealed that they had not carried out the relevant inspections and had falsified the certificates to show that all was safe for use.
Harper, of Alkrington, Middleton, and Arnold of Crookes, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
They were each sentenced to 170 hours community service and ordered to pay £1,500 costs.
Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Matt Greenly said: “Scaffold inspectors are relied upon by workers and must be trusted. Falsely completing reports without carrying out a thorough inspection can lead to serious risks being missed and life changing accidents occurring.”
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How unsurprising most of the sites I have worked on in Swindon have awful scaffolding. They don’t seem to get it that it is supposed to be a safe working platform not something they can just throw up.
The site agents rarely get off their backsides to have a look and when they do they can’t seem to grasp the problems all they are interested in is getting their roofed in bonuses.
Scaffold erected using the guns for tightening the nuts often drop, causing trip hazards with boards. Do they ever torque test them?
I know of one agent that would only let them dismantle scaffold with these guns but not let them erect scaffold with them.
How about this then. Scaffold for a chimney only on two sides – what are they thinking? This is only a small gripe about scaffolding, unfortunately it is common throughout the construction industry.
I agree with the previous comment far to many site agents are very poor at their job or have not received the appropriate scaffolding training.