PRISON SENTENCE FOR DIRECTORS, AFTER WALL COLLAPSE KILLS FIVE

Two company Directors have been jailed and given combined fines of £1.6m after a 45-tonne wall collapsed killing five men.

Both Directors were found guilty of four charges each under section 2 (1) and 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and received a nine-month custodial sentence.

The two companies involved were also found guilty of the two identical counts bringing the total number of convictions to 12.

The men were agency workers and working for a metal recycling business which is based in the Nechells area of Birmingham.

The five men were part of a group of eight agency workers brought onto the site.

A nearly 12-foot-high Vee block wall was built on the site which was made up of 30 concrete blocks.

Each block was the size of a domestic fridge-freezer and weighed the same as a large family car and the blocks are designed to slot together. 

Consequences

The Agency workers were clearing the bay of metal filings to make room for additional scrap metal.

The wall collapsed just after 15 minutes into their shift killing the five men instantly.  

A sixth man suffered serious leg injuries and another person was fortunate to have stepped outside of the bay just before the wall came down.

The eight member of the team was not in the bay as he was working on another part of the site.

Failures Identified

An investigation by the HSE identified that the wall had previously been taken down and reassembled.  

The adjoining bay was full of approximately 263 tonnes of scrap metal briquettes – each roughly the size of a large tin of vegetables.

The combined weight of the machine-pressed metal briquettes was the equivalent of six fully loaded HGVs.

Lessons to be Learnt

These five men were placed into a working environment that was fundamentally unsafe.

Following the incident, structural engineers were appointed who carried out an assessment.

The result was a reduction in wall heights and bays being clearly marked with maximum fill lines.

There was a complete failure of the Directors and the Companies involved. 

What should you be considering?

What monitoring / Inspection do you carry out on your premises?

Do you have suitable and sufficient Risk Assessments and Method Statements in place?

Is the work area and equipment suitable for the task to be carried out?

Do you carry out Site Inductions for all staff including Agency workers?

Is training, instruction and supervision provided to all staff including Agency workers?

Don’t leave it for another day – check your workplace!

Safety For are about Safety For ALL. Whatever your business size, industry and needs, we are here for you.

Source: www.HSE.gov.uk – Press Release - Directors jailed after five workers killed by wall collapse