Construction firm fined for multiple safety failures

A construction company was fined ￡35,000 after being caught failing to ensure the safety and welfare of workers on site during the renovation of a property.

Preston Magistrates’ Court heard how, between 12 December 2015 and 14 June 2018, Navkaar Limited put its workers at serious risk of personal injury or death at a construction site in Blackpool. The company failed to prevent risks from falls from height, exposure to asbestos and dangerous electrical systems. There were no suitable welfare facilities and no measures to prevent fire on site.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that workers on site had carried out work in an unsafe manner without the appropriate measures in place to ensure their health, safety and welfare. The employees and contractors on site did not have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to complete the work. Navkaar Limited failed to comply with their duty as principal contractor to plan, manage and monitor the work being carried out on site.

Navkaar Limited of Station Approach, Northwood pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined ￡35,000 and ordered to pay costs of ￡3,860.

HSE inspector Jacqueline Western, said: “These risks could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

When refurbishing or renovating a property that is not your own domestic residence, it is deemed as a commercial construction site and processes need to be followed in order to keep everyone involved safe & well. This can be anything from a light refurb to a full back to brick HMO conversion and everything in between (remember that serious accidents can and do happen as a result of something as simple as a fall from a ladder when painting a ceiling or just cleaning an outside window).

As HSE stated, it is so simple as a property investment company to avoid putting yourself in this position and to mitigate risks to yourself, your investor clients, your trades team on site and, to a lesser degree, the public in general.

If you want help to understand exactly what you need to do as a property investor in a simple, easy to digest way to help to operate a safe site and set yourself ahead of your competition, book a call with me today at https://bit.ly/db-calendar

Source: https://www.constructionmanagermagazine.com/construction-firm-fined-multiple-safety-failures