18.09.2004

Developer fined £75,000 for fatal fall

London-based development company Cherren III pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in a prosecution at Southwark crown court . The court heard that Mark Butler, from Woking, Surrey, was measuring up a heating installation in October 2000 at a Fitzroy Square development when the accident happened. He had climbed an unguarded ladder to a half platform on the ground floor but fell about 2.4m into the basement. Butler died 12 days later from his injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that Cherren III, the principle contractor on the site, had failed to carry out a risk assessment for the area where Butler was working. The half platform that Butler fell from had no edge protection and had not been designated as an exclusion zone.

The firm was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay costs of £25,000.

Michael La Rose, HSE inspector responsible for leading the investigation, said: “This is the type of incident that needs to be prevented if the construction industry is to improve its safety record. As the figures published today indicate, falls from height still account for over half of all fatalities in construction.”