Scaffolding firm fined £160,000 for collapse in town centre
Maidenhead: Plastic sheeting acted like a ‘giant sail’
A scaffolding company has been fined £160,000 after its apparatus collapsed in central Maidenhead.
On April 30, 2018, a large scaffold in High Street, put up as part of the Collonade demolition for the Chapel Arches project, toppled over onto several parked cars.
No one was hurt in the incident, but a hearing carried out at High Wycombe Magistrates Court heard how the collapse could have resulted in serious injury or loss of life.
An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive following the incident found that the cause of the collapse was a lack of
training and adequate instruction.
Formula Scaffolding (London) Limited, based in Chessington, was found guilty in its absence of breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, fined £160,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,533.36.
The investigation found that the worker who was dismantling the scaffold and removing the scaffold ties was not properly trained.
High winds blowing on the day of the collapse caught the plastic sheeting on the scaffold, which acted like a ‘giant sail’, with it subsequently toppling over.
After the hearing, Health and Safety Executive Inspector John Caboche said: “This was a very serious incident and it is fortunate nobody was injured as a result of it.
“Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working, ensure that their workforce is adequately trained and provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers in the safe system of working.”
Formula Scaffolding (London) Limited could not be reached for comment.