Scaffolding collapse crushes several cars

The Health and Safety Executive prosectued a Greater Manchester company after scaffolding collapsed crushing several cars during the construction of a new gym in Hyde.

Trafford Magistrates Court how high winds led to the structure, which was nearly six metres high and more thatn 40 metres wide, to collapse. The incident occurred on 17 January 2009, when it toppled onto a neighbouring residential street and damaged several parked cars. The investigation discovered that the company, Craven Scaffolding failed to tie the scaffolding to the building, despite it being in a windy location.

Craven Scaffolding pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 12(4) by failing to carry out an inspection of the scaffolding up to seven days before the collapse, and of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of the public. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 towards the cost of the prosecution.

HSE Inspector Neil Martin said: "People living near the site could easily have been badly injured or even killed when the scaffolding collapsed. Several cars parked on the street were crushed but luckily no one was in them at the time. There is a primary school nearby and it is sheer luck that this incident happened in the evening and not at the end of the school day. I would not like to speculate about the injuries it could have caused. The scaffolding collapsed because basic health and safety procedures weren t followed when it was put up. If it had been tied to the building, it could not have been forced over by high winds."

Inspector Martin concluded: "Craven Scaffolding had put up netting on the scaffolding to catch falling debris but it acted as a sail and pulled over the structure, which was not tied to the building. It s vital scaffolding companies learn lessons from this incident to prevent injuries in the future."

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