Scaffolding accident 'could have been worse'
Construction
19th March 2009
The collapse of scaffolding in Birmingham city centre could have resulted in a serious accident, it has been claimed.
CCTV footage showed pedestrians walking in close proximity to the scaffolding seconds before it collapsed.
Following the incident, Surrey-based SGB Services was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
John Davies Interiors was also fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,996 after admitting a failure to use working platforms correctly.
Health and Safety Executive inspector Mike Ford said all employers have a responsibility to make sure adequate working practices are in place when erecting scaffolding.
"The incident placed pedestrians and workers at risk because the two companies had failed to provide a scaffold that was suitably tied to the building," he commented.
Recently, the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation launched a crackdown on firms falsely claiming to be accredited members of the organisation.
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