James Hudson Demolition Ltd from Halifax has been fined £7,500 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000 after a worker suffered extensive injuries on a demolition site.
Gareth Dodds was working on the site of the former All Saints School in Rossington, South Yorkshire, when he was injured in November 2008. Mr Dodds was one of four workers at the site, and suffered near fatal injuries when he was struck by a 20 metre long steel girder that was being moved by a hydraulic excavator. As well as severe head injuries, he suffered fractured vertebrae and is still suffering the effects of the injury.
Although Mr Dodds and his colleagues were working on foot near the hydraulic excavator, an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that there were no safety measures in place to keep the men at a safe distance from the machinery.
The company was successfully prosecuted by the HSE for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. HSE inspector Rob Cooper said, "This appalling incident could have very easily been avoided had proper thought and planning been put in place. We hope today's prosecution serves as a reminder to all employers that they have a duty to protect their workers at all times."
