Mansion floor collapse injures three builders

Grant Prior 10 years ago
Share

Two firms have been ordered to pay £72,000 in fines and costs after a floor collapsed injuring three workers during the construction of a £2m mansion in Trafford.

One of the men sustained major injuries when he was struck by a falling concrete beam.

He spent five weeks in hospital and has been unable to return to work following the incident on 11 November 2011.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that property-developer Belmont Homes (Cheshire) Ltd had brought in several contractors, including bricklaying firm Waymac, to help with the construction of the four-storey property on South Downs Road in Bowdon.

During the project, the firms discovered that the frame for the first floor was too high and needed to be lowered.

This meant reducing the height of some of the concrete padstones that the frame rested on by lifting the frame and then lowering it back down.

As the concrete beams for the floor were put in place following this work, the floor collapsed.

Three of the men fell with it, with the beams falling on top of them.

Two workers escaped with minor injuries but one suffered severe injuries when he put up his left arm to protect his head from a falling concrete beam, weighing around half a tonne.

The 47-year-old from Wythenshawe sustained a crushed arm, fractured ribs, punctured lung, broken collar bone and damage to his back.

He has lost the use of his left hand and only has very limited use of his left arm.

The HSE investigation found the work to lower the steel frame had been badly planned, and neither company had considered the potential risk of collapse while the structure was in a temporarily weakened state.

Belmont Homes (Cheshire) Ltd, of Budworth Heath was fined £33,000 and ordered to pay costs of £15,000 after pleading guilty to a safety breach.

Waymac Ltd, of Eastway in Sale, was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay £15,000 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the CDM regulations.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Principal Inspector Neil Jamieson said: “One of the workers has suffered devastating injuries as a result of the collapse, and the other two were lucky not to have been more seriously injured or even killed.

“Belmont was responsible for the overall management of the work and the company failed to get a grip of the project.

“Waymac is also an experienced bricklaying firm and it should have been obvious to both companies that lifting and lowering the floor could be dangerous.

“They should have sought the advice of a structural engineer before allowing the work to go ahead. If they had then the injuries the workers suffered could have been avoided.”

Collapsed-floor-photo

Latest news

Top consultant tells clients stop using fixed-price contracts

Contractors' selective tendering policies force clients to rethink risk transfer
5 hours ago

Winners named for £1bn Yorkshire storm overflow alliance

AtkinsRéalis, Morrison Water Services, Stantec, and Ward & Burke bag places
24 hours ago

“Olympic” medals to crackdown on late payers

Gold, silver and bronze awards for payment speed and fines for non-compliant directors and firms
5 hours ago

Morgan Sindall clinches £60m Cardiff school job

Work to start in November on new 900-pupil Willows High School
5 hours ago

Pensioner dies after fall through hole left by contractor

Builder fined £150,000 after accident during bathroom renovation
6 hours ago

Careys launches skills bootcamp for groundworkers

Training centre opens at contractor's former Wembley head office
6 hours ago

Cala Group sold for £1.35bn

Investment groups including former owner sign deal
1 day ago

Balfour Beatty fined £285,000 after scissor lift death

Court hears how crane pushed over platform killing one worker and seriously injuring another
2 days ago

House builders fail to get seat on New Towns Taskforce

Policy and planning experts dominate Rayner New Towns Taskforce
1 day ago

Timber roof dropped in flagship HS2 station design rethink

New Curzon Street aluminium panel design offers better fire safety and cheaper upkeep
2 days ago

Plan in for 4,000 homes at Earls Court in London

£10bn scheme advances for London's largest development site
2 days ago

Former MD returns to head O’Keefe Construction

Lee Horsley returns to civils specialist to replace Marc Daly
1 day ago

Luton Town put in plans for new stadium

Construction to be completed by 2027 on new home for football club
2 days ago

Henry Boot looking to new boss to boost construction

Construction turnover down as division behind schedule winning work
2 days ago

Billington to expand Shafton works as order book swells

Low steel prices tempt clients to bring stalled projects to the market
2 days ago

Network Plus Services doubles profit to £32m

Turnover at private equity-backed business tops £500m
2 days ago

Coroner in training call after scissor-lift tragedy

Practical rescue training needed after worker crushed to death
3 days ago

Deal to re-start £37m Burnley flood defence job

VolkerStevin/Jacobs' Padiham scheme stalled when costs doubled
2 days ago

Big public procurement shake-up put back to February

Government delays Procurement Act go-live date by four months
2 days ago

Architecture boss joins Caddick as Design Director

Former DLA Architecture director Jason Clarke to boost contractor's design offering
3 days ago

Vinci Building and FM arms rack up big losses for second year

Inaugural consolidated accounts for all Vinci UK operations slip into the red
3 days ago

Plan lodged for two Birmingham student towers

Sama plans nearly 2,000 student rooms in 48 and 41 floor buildings at Lancaster Circus
3 days ago

Galliford Try delays annual results announcement

Accountants want more time to go through books
3 days ago

CITB urged to give everyone a say over need for levy

Consensus process slammed as a "charade"
3 days ago

Subcontractors wanted across north London

Constructionline event to highlight work opportunities: Register now
3 days ago

Latest construction hotspots appear outside London

Research reveals fastest growing areas for contract awards
3 days ago

Bachy Soletanche rejigs business in new growth plan

Business split into two regional and a major projects division
3 days ago

BAM, Arup and Amey win £2bn Network Rail contract

Largest single contract by value ever awarded by Network Rail.
6 days ago

Luton airport £2.4bn expansion decision delayed

Application decision deadline pushed back 3 months to January 2025.
6 days ago

Plan in for 2m sq ft Hertfordshire data centre campus

Proposed £3.75bn construction project near M25 would sustain 500 jobs
6 days ago

Contractor services