Worker loses leg after falling wall starts excavator

Grant Prior 10 years ago
Share

A self-employed construction worker lost his leg after a collapsed wall knocked him over and sparked an excavator into life.

Dorchester Crown Court heard that James O’Connor was working on a cottage on a sloping site that needed excavating below the level of the shallow foundations to build an extension.

O’Connor was in the process of lowering the ground level when the gable wall collapsed knocking him to the ground.

At the same time, part of the wall fell through the windscreen of an excavator and activated the reverse lever.

O’Connor’s leg, which was on the track of the excavator, was pulled in and became trapped between the track and body of the excavator.

He suffered shoulder, back and leg injuries and had to have his right leg amputated above the knee.

The court heard that David Mitchell, a director of Ferndown Developments Ltd, had hired O’Connor to work at the cottage when the incident happened on 29 April 2009.

The HSE investigation found that Mitchell did not control the work in a safe manner. He failed to identify the need to support the building during the excavation and foundation stages of the project.

Mitchell, director of Ferndown Developments Ltd, of Wimborne, pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £18,000.

Speaking after the prosecution, HSE Inspector Frank Flannery said: “This was a very serious and wholly preventable incident in which a man in his prime lost a leg as a result of the omissions and failings during the planning and construction phases of the project.

“Had Mr Mitchell fully assessed the safety aspects of the work that he was contracted to do prior to starting, he would have identified the need to support the building during the excavation and the building of the new foundation.

“This would have allowed a structural engineer to be instructed prior to the work starting, and a safe system of work could have been determined.

“Whilst welcoming the verdict today, the fact remains that this incident could have easily resulted in a more serious outcome and is a reminder to all those in the construction industry of their legal duties to manage health and safety.”

Latest news

Bid rigging: Keltbray to appeal and so could Squibb

Both contractors "disappointed" with level of fines
7 hours ago

Ten demolition firms fined £60m for bid rigging

Full details of fines with Erith and Keltbray hardest hit
1 day ago

Retail contractor J M Scully files administration notice

£23m turnover Dorset based contractor lodges court notice
8 hours ago

Civils specialist M Lambe delivers record performance

Housing civils specialist seeks to diversify in face of challenging housing market
7 hours ago

Willmott Dixon clinches £60m Oxford Brookes University job

Preparation work starts on two new buildings at Headington Hill campus
8 hours ago

Ferns seals £50m+ Openreach network services deal

Five-year south west deal to provide civils, poling and complex manhole programme
7 hours ago

20 firms win £4.5bn Southern construction framework

A dozen new firms secure spots on fifth generation public sector deal
1 day ago

Call grows for bolder 18m second staircase rule for flats

Architects, surveyors and builders professional trade bodies demand lower height threshold than proposed 30m
1 day ago

GRS Roadstone warns staff following cyber attack

Materials giant sends out letters highlighting the extent of the attack
1 day ago

Inland Homes to suspend shares as results delayed again

Auditors need more time to go through embattled house builder's books
1 day ago

Kier wins £73m Southport events centre job

Local supply chain set to benefit from major new project
1 day ago

Multiplex profit rebounds as margin restored to 2.9%

London tower builder predicts return to revenue growth this year as major schemes advance
2 days ago

Upbeat Vistry to re-open mothballed offsite factory

Former Countryside timber panel factories rebranded Vistry Works in revived drive to deliver 5,000 units a year
2 days ago

Builder crushed and blinded in wall collapse

Property owner in court after barn conversion goes horribly wrong
2 days ago

Keltbray bags £140m haul of energy infrastructure work

Specialist secures trio of power frameworks, two battery storage facilities and an energy from waste package
2 days ago

Government awards £1.8bn for energy retrofit schemes – list

Housing and public building decarbonising funds awards to support 20,000 construction jobs
2 days ago

Landmark London scheme switches from flats to student rooms

Regal London rethinks Old Kent Road scheme with 900 student rooms and 220 affordable homes
2 days ago

Align reveals designs for final portal of HS2 tunnel

Contractor confirms how final key structure on project will look
2 days ago

Plans in for 1.4m sq ft of industrial space at Fiddlers Ferry

Peel NRE to appoint demolition contractors for coal-fired power station in weeks
2 days ago

Tilbury Douglas to replace hospital hit by weak concrete

Stoke-on-Trent outpatients building containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete to be replaced
3 days ago

Derby picked as destination for Great British Railways HQ

Public vote secures Derby's bid to be nerve centre of the rail industry
3 days ago

London tower over historic Leadenhall market approved

Building work to start in 2025 on 32-storey tower by historic city market
3 days ago

PfH starts race for £520m housing decarbonising deal

Four-year framework covers service specific lots from £5m to £100m
3 days ago

“Rock solid” balance sheet and record results for Henry Boot

Firm sees early signs of recovery this year in core markets
3 days ago

£200m Edinburgh Haymarket office and hotel approved

Haymarket Yards scheme to move to construction in 2024
3 days ago

Countryside closes deal for £80m build to rent homes

Deal with private rental developer Sigma to speed up delivery at two sites
3 days ago

Wates commercial director joins Caddick

Neil Trubshaw one of a string of appointments as contractor looks to expand across the north
3 days ago

Fusion21 names 16 winners for £125m painting framework

Latest deal will last four-years for public sector clients
4 days ago

Watkin Jones breaks ground on Cardiff 700 flats scheme

Largest build-to-rent scheme in Wales gets underway
4 days ago

Green light for Birmingham 540-bed student scheme

Work to start on Gough Street student tower this summer
5 days ago

Contractor services