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Strata Homes Yorkshire Ltd has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive over the incident which left 24-year-old Anton Burrows paralysed. Mr Burrows was working as part of a bricklaying team who had been subcontracted to Strata Homes Yorkshire Ltd. The incident occurred on 7 April 2009 when Mr Burrows was helping a driver of a telescopic forklift truck to lift the steel beam onto two brick pillars.

The beam had initailly landed on the pillars as intended, however when the forklift withdrew, its forks caught the beam dislodging it from the pillars. The beam fell onto Mr Burrows who had walked into the area as it happened.

Mr Burrows suffered extensive injuries including spinal damage which has resulted in him being left quadriplegic.

Strata Homes Yorkshire Ltd was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of £16,062 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

After the hearing HSE Inspector Alasdair Green said: "The terrible injuries sustained in this incident have changed the way of life for Mr Burrows and his family for ever. Had the lifting operation been properly planned and supervised, in line with the regulations, the Approved Code of Practice and HSE's guidance, this devastating incident which could have very easily killed someone, would have been avoided."

Inspector Green concluded: "This prosecution must serve to remind all employers of their duties and responsibilities in protecting workers during lifting operations so that others do not suffer in this way."

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Joda Freight Limited employee Nicholas Holmes, 49, was delivering panel saws on 16 August 2007 to the Saw Centre in Glasgow. Mr Holmes removed the straps which were securing the saws and the load became unstable. A saw weighing 290 kilograms fell from the vehicle and hit him on the head.

The incident has left Mr Holmes with permanent brain damage.

The Health and Safety Executive investigation found that Joda Freight Ltd had failed to put in place a reliable system of communication for informing delivery drivers about securing the loads and its stability. Mr Holmes had not been told anything about how the panel saws had been secured in the lorry.

Joda Freight Limited was fined £5,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Following the case, HSE Inspector Jean Edgar said: "This was a horrific incident and will have terrible consequences for Mr Holmes and his family for many years to come. Haulage companies must make sure information is properly communicated between drivers in how a load is secured and strapped. Verbal messages through a third party may not be enough. This is particularly important where the delivery driver did not load the vehicle - and has little information on the precise strapping method used to secure it."

Inspector Edgar concluded: "Every year around 70 people are killed and thousands more suffer major injuries in incidents involving vehicles in and around workplaces. A significant number of these occur during deliveries and collections. Suppliers, hauliers and recipients must cooperate and ensure their drivers are trained to assess delivery and collection risks and reduce them as far as possible."

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Workington Magistrates Court heard how Jamie Graham was working for A.C.P (Concrete) Ltd on 19 March 2009 when the incident occurred. Mr Graham was re-threading a cable through a concrete mould, which is stretched to 2,000 lbs tension, when another grip failed, releasing a second 200-feet long cable. The cable passed straight through Mr Graham's lower right leg and left him impaled on the 9mm steel cable.

The Fire and Rescue Service had to cut the cable to release Mr Graham, and he was taken to hospital with the end of the cable still embedded through his shin. Mr Graham was immobilized in a hip to toe full leg plaster for six weeks following the incident and still suffers pain and weakness in his right leg.

The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted the company after finding that on average eight grips a week were failing, however the company did not have a system in place for maintaining and inspecting the grips. There was no safe system of work was in place for re-threading the steel cables and fixing new grips, leading to the possibility that workers could be standing or crouching directly in line with the ends of the cables while making repairs.

A.C.P (Concrete) Ltd was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,638 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

HSE Inspector Mike Griffiths, said: "This terrifying incident should have been prevented. The lack of any inspection or maintenance of the grips meant that problems with them were only detected when a grip failed. That could sometimes result in a cable being released with 2000 lbs tension. The fact that the grips had to fail before they were replaced meant that there were significantly more failures under tension, and the chances of a potentially serious injury were increased."

Inspector Griffiths concluded: "The company should have ensured that the task of re-threading the cables in a partially tensioned bed was properly assessed and that the significant risks to its employees were properly controlled by a safe system of work."

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The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted Eastern Regional Shopfitters Ltd after the company ignored a report stating that asbestos was present in the shop.
Two of the company's workers were potentially exposed to the deadly fibres in October 2009 after spending five days ripping out shop fittings before they discovered asbestos had been used in some of the ceiling panels. As well as the workers, three management staff from the Arndale Centre were also potentially exposed after they carried out routine checks on the work at the shop.

Eastern Regional Shopfitters was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,215 after admitting three breaches of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and one of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Mark Green, 45 from Cambridge, was one of the two shop fitters to be exposed to asbestos fibres. He said: "It plays on my mind. I am more aware of the possibility I may become ill and that my life has unwittingly been put on the line. I hope that companies in the construction industry, no matter what their size, now begin to take asbestos more seriously. They should put everyone who works for them on asbestos awareness courses because workers need to be more aware."

Mr Green concluded: "When I go on a job now, the first question I ask is 'Have you done an asbestos report?' and then, if it is present, 'What will your actions be?'."

Tom Merry, the investigating inspector at HSE, said: "Eastern Regional Shopfitters knew asbestos was present in the shop but it didnít inform its workers and it didnít ensure it was dealt with safely. Abestos only becomes a risk if it is disturbed so the shop fitters could have worked safely if they knew where the asbestos was. It should either have been sealed or removed by a licensed contractor before the work started."

Inspector Merry concluded: "Five people now have to live with the knowledge that they may become ill with a life-threatening lung disease. Shop fitting and property maintenance companies must treat the risks from asbestos seriously so more lives arenít put in danger in the future."

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Stratford-upon-Avon Magistrates Court heard how Greswolde Construction Ltd was carrying out building work on an extension at Rokeby Primary School in Rugby. Three employees were carrying out the work when they disturbed an area containing asbestos.

The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted the company after finding that although the company had a detailed Type 3 Asbestsos survey detailing the location of the asbestos they failed to communiate this to their employees. The survey also detailed the fact that children were occupying adjacent classrooms, however the company continued to give the go ahead to their workers.

The investigation also found that the workers had not been informed of the presence of asbestos and had not received any asbestos awareness training or protection.

The company was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,268 after pleading guilty to a breach of regulation 10(1) and one of 11(1)(a) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

HSE inspector Paul Cooper said: "The dangers of asbestos are well known in the building industry so for the managers of Greswolde Construction not to inform their employees of its presence shows a complete disregard for their safety and wellbeing. What makes it worse is that this work was being carried out in a primary school where young children were in the next room."

Inspector Cooper concluded: "We can't stress enough how important it is for anyone carrying out building work to obtain the proper asbestos surveys and then act upon them."

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It is believed that Duncan MacGillivray, 75, accidentally put his car in forward gear instead of reverse when he was exiting a car park space. As he moved forward the vehicle mounted the edging and fell approximately three metres into the sea below, trapping Mr MacGillivray.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found there were some barriers in place at the pier, but none in the area where Mr MacGillivray had parked.

It was found that no risk assessment of the car park had taken place by the Council and no steps had been taken to provide adequate edge protection to prevent such incidents.

Argyll and Bute Council was fined £20,000 and ordered after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Following the case, HSE Inspector Mike Orr said: "Mr MacGillivray died in tragic and traumatic circumstances, ultimately drowning in the sea below the pier. A simple risk assessment would have identified the clear risks of an unprotected sheer drop into the sea at the edge of a car park - but sadly the council failed to do this."

Inspector Orr concluded: "Argyll and Bute Council was responsible for the maintenance and operation of this charging public car park. When it changed the use of the pier, from a commercial site, it should have quickly identified any risks to members of the public. It's simply not acceptable that this didn't happen."

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Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates heard how Rafferty Chimneys Engeering Ltd had been contracted to inspect four 20-metre tall steel chimneys at Churchill China (UK) Ltd pottery firm.

To access the eves of the roof a tower scaffold was used. On 4 March 2009, two workers walked across a fragile asbestos sheet roof, using boards only 45cm wide. Throughout the day they carried equipment back and forth, however no safety measures were in place to prevent the potential for falling.

At the end of the job, Kevin Ford was dismantling the tower scaffold. He had lowered a board from the upper level when he slipped and fell one-and-a-half metres suffering a serious fracture to the heel of his left foot. Mr Ford required pins to be inserted into the bone and spent 16 weeks in plaster.

Following the incident, the Health and Safety Executive found that the guard rail on the tower was too low, incorrect boards were in use and no toe boards were in place.

Rafferty Chimneys Engineering Ltd was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

HSE inspector Guy Dale said: "Working at height is the most common cause of workplace injuries and this incident shows the very real dangers, no matter what the distance to the ground. With the right equipment and a proper risk assessment this could have been prevented. As it was, there were so many instances and potential for falls throughout the day leading up to this event that it was lucky both men weren't involved in serious injuries."

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Hertford Magistrates Court heard how construction work was taking place at Hertfordshire Regional College in Turnford on 3 November 2007 when the incident occurred. The four tonne load fell next to a regularly used footpath and demolished the site boundary fence and damaged a college building.

London Tower Crane Hire & Sales Limited was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £15,837.45 after breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Regulation 5(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and Regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

HSE Inspector Norman Macritchie said: "It was a matter of good fortune that no-one was injured in this entirely avoidable incident. Those undertaking lifting operations have absolute duties to plan, supervise and carry them out safely. Maintenance staff had indentified safety-critical faults in the crane yet simple controls needed to prevent use of defective equipment were not implemented. Poor communication and teamwork, together with inadequate supervision, all contributed to this incident."

Inspector Macritchie concluded: "This case has important lessons for all those operating lifting equipment and especially tower cranes."

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Haverfordwest Magistrates Court heard how Gwyndaf Davies was helping to re-roof a building on 29 April 2009 when he fell through the roof on to the concrete floor below.

Mr Davies suffered multiple facial fractures, a traumatic brain injury and multiple spine fractures causing him to spend nine months as an in-patient at Morriston Hospital. He has undergone facial reconstructive surgery and eye surgery and he has been left with lasting effects of the brain injury, blind in one eye and partially sighted in the other. The incident has left Mr Davies with limited speech and he is not able to walk without an aid. He continues to receive intensive physiotherapy and speech therapy and he is likely to require significant care for the rest of his life.

Following the incident, the Health and Safety Executive prosecuted Mr Davies' employer, Delme L James Ltd for failing to take steps to prevent workers from falling from height. The investigation found that the company had not planned, supervised or carried out the work safely. The roof had only limited edge protection and there were no measures in place to prevent falling into the building.

Delme L James Ltd was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,189.40 after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

HSE inspector, Anne Marie Orrells, said: "Mr Davies is a young man who has suffered dreadful injuries as a result of this accident which could have resulted in his death. This situation could so easily have been prevented and Mr Davies and his family are still trying to come to terms with the lasting effects of what has happened.

Inspector Orrells concluded: "Falls from height are one of the major causes of death and serious injury in the construction industry. The regulations are clear and well established but HSE continues to see tragic cases such as this resulting from employers not fulfilling their duty to protect workers."

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Elgin Sheriff Court heard how mobile plant fitter, Arthur Jamieson, 58, had been fixing a transmission leak on a five-and-a-half tonne digger on 21 November 2008.

The digger had been raised on a ramp, however its rear wheels had not been adequately secured. As Mr Jamieson worked on the vehicle, the digger rolled off the ramp. Mr Jamieson was suffocated after a wheel compressed his chest.

The Health and Safety Executive investigated following Mr Jamiesons death and found that the company had failed to provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision to Mr Jamieson. The investigation found that Mr Jamieson had previously carried out the task and had been expected to establish his own method of raising and supporting the vehicle. He had been left to organise blocks to support the digger and had not been provided with any director support or supervision.

The company was fined £96,000 after pleading guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Elgin Sheriff Court on 9 August 2010.

After sentencing, HSE Inspector Norman Buchanan said: "This tragic incident should have been avoided. Although Arthur Jamieson was undoubtedly an experienced mobile plant fitter, he had not previously carried out this particular task for this firm. He should have received adequate information, training and supervision from his employers, which Leiths did not provide. It is wholly unacceptable his employers left him unsupervised to devise his own means of working on such a risky repair job."

Inspector Buchanan concluded: "Had Mr Jamieson been adequately supervised, he would not have been able to start working underneath the digger when it was inadequately secured at the rear and therefore able to move from its position on the ramps. As a result his death could have been prevented."

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