Tru Construction was fined £12,500 on three counts of breaching safety regulations and ordered to pay £700 in court costs. St George Scaffolding was fined £1250 and ordered to pay £721. HG Construction was fined £2800 with £865 in costs and Charles R McInnes was fined £1350 and ordered to pay £534 costs.
The prosecutions were brought by the Health and Safety Executive as part of its blitz on sites in the capital. The four companies admitted offences under regulation 6 of the Construction Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1996, which covers falls from heights.
Of the five other companies that appeared before magistrates, contractor Wates was fined £4000, as reported last week, and subcontractor McKenna Demolition £1250 for safety breaches on a site in Beckenham, Kent. Both companies pleaded guilty.
Wates chief executive Struan Robertson said he was disappointed that the HSE had felt it necessary to take action against the firm and rejected claims that the firm had a serious safety problem.
He said: “Despite our efforts to achieve the highest standards of health and safety, on this occasion we failed. Site safety is of huge concern to me and our group safety manager, Tony Metcalfe, has done a wonderful job in spreading the message that safety comes first.”
He said safety procedures had been reviewed and that further precautions would be taken.
Three other firms to be fined after admitting safety breaches were Prendy Scaffolding, Mitie Property Services and Kier London. Mitie was fined £500 and ordered to pay £581 in costs. Kier London was fined £3500 and £337 in costs and subcontractor Prendy Scaffolding was fined £900 and £336 in costs.
A 10th company, EJ Roberts Roofing, of Beckenham, was also prosecuted but pleaded not guilty and the case has been adjourned.
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