A construction company has been fined £50,000 following a preventable structural failure that resulted in four workers being injured — two with life-changing injuries — due to inadequate temporary works controls during remedial activity on a residential project in Hampstead
The company was appointed to construct a residential property, with initial works commencing in March 2021. Structural issues were identified by engineers in early 2022, including incorrectly connected steel beams in the partially completed beam-and-block first floor. Remedial works were subsequently scheduled without adequate planning or risk management.
On 31 May 2022, during remedial operations, a 62-year-old welder was cutting a steel beam using an oxyacetylene torch. At the same time, another operative was removing Acrow props supporting the same beam.
The floor collapsed due to insufficient support, causing the welder and a 31-year-old bricklayer to fall to the ground and injuring two additional workers positioned below
The HSE investigation uncovered multiple breaches:
- No temporary works plan: no formal plan was in place for the remedial operation.
- Lack of competent supervision: the contractor failed to appoint a Temporary Works Coordinator or any competent person to manage structural risks.
- No method statement or risk assessment: there was no documented method statement or risk assessment detailing the sequencing of work or structural support arrangements.
- Failure to stabilise known risks: the structural weakness was a known hazard, yet no interim safety measures were implemented
The company were found guilty of breaching regulation 19(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, which requires that construction work be planned to ensure structures are not at risk of collapse
At a hearing at the City of London Magistrates’ Court, the company received a £50,000 fine and was ordered to pay £39,000 in prosecution costs