It has been known for many years that prolonged contact with wet cement can cause serious burns, however this was a fact that Galliard Homes Limited were unaware of when they started a concrete laying job at Marble Arch Apartments in London, on 10 March 2005. The work began without first carrying out a risk assessment and as the workman knelt in concrete for approximately 5 hours, the chemicals attacked his nerve endings, rendering him unaware of the serious burns he was suffering until he had finished the job.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advise that where contact with cement cannot be eliminated, suitable measures must be taken to minimise contact with the skin. This involves the use of adequate personal protective equipment. If such equipment as kneepads and non-permeable clothing had been worn, the unfortunate workman would have been protected. The company admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and were fined a total of £22,000.
