April 27th, 2009
A construction worker who claims he has been unable to return to work since an accident in 2006 is seeking compensation from his former employer.
Iain Cowan was working as a banksman for Norwest Holst – the main contractor on the building of the M20 motorway – where he was overseeing the digging of a trench, Building magazine reports.
He told excavator operator David Price to stop the machine and move it sideways while he talked to colleagues, but Mr Price did not do so and Mr Cowan was knocked into the trench.
After being taken to hospital, it was found that Mr Cowan had a fractured spine, a chest injury and a cut leg.
He is now suing Norwest Holst – since renamed Vinci Construction – for negligence and £250,000 in damages, claiming that the company had not provided a suitably trained machine operator.
The company has not commented on the case.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, there were 3,764 reported major injuries in the construction industry between 2007 and 2008.
Tags: 250k, Banksman, Chest Injury, Colleagues, Construction Industry, Construction Worker, Cowan, Damages, David Price, Excavator Operator, Fractured Spine, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, M20 Motorway, Machine Operator, Main Contractor, Negligence, Norwest Holst
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April 3rd, 2009
The wife of a construction worker who suffered a brain injury after an accident on-site is seeking compensation from his employer on his behalf.
Christopher Kaye, 55, was working for Euro Dismantling Services in Sheffield last October when he was asked to remove a grapple attachment from a piece of machinery, the Sheffield Telegraph reports.
However, the grapple moved suddenly and hit him in the face, causing a severe brain injury.
Mr Kaye is now unable to communicate and has to be fed through a tube. He can move only his eyes and his right arm and leg.
His wife Susan is taking legal action against Euro Dismantling Services, claiming that the company was negligent and had not trained him in using the machinery.
A writ lodged at the high court also claims that the firm had not checked that the machinery was sufficiently stable before allowing the workforce to use it.
Euro Dismantling Services has declined to comment on the case.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, the rate of major injury in construction is the highest of any main industry group at 599.2 per 100,000 employees between 2007 and 2008.
Tags: Construction Worker, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Industry Group, Mr Kaye, Right Arm, Severe Brain Injury, Sheffield Telegraph, Wife Susan, Worker Compensation, Workforce, Writ
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March 2nd, 2009
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is set to prosecute a Middlesex-based contractor following the death of a construction worker in 2004.
PC Harrington Contractors is set to be charged with breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, as well as the lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations following the death of a construction worker at the Wembley Stadium site in 2004.
Another worker was also injured in the incident, which occurred when a platform that had become dislodged during a lifting operation fell from a height of 30 metres.
The City of London Magistrates Court is set to hear the case on March 10th.
PC Harrington’s current and past projects include St George’s Wharf, the Ministry of Defence, West India Quay, Romford Hospital, the London Royal Hospital, Paddington Central, the Barclays Bank headquarters at Canary Wharf and the Vodafone world headquarters in Berkshire. The firm was founded in 1973.
Tags: Bank Headquarters, Barclays Bank, Canary Wharf, City Of London, Construction Worker, Health And Safety, Health And Safety At Work, Health And Safety At Work Act, Health And Safety Executive, Hse, Lifting Operations And Lifting Equipment Regulations, London Magistrates Court, London Royal Hospital, Ministry Of Defence, Paddington, Romford, Safety At Work, Wembley Stadium, West India Quay, World Headquarters
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October 30th, 2008
A construction company has paid damages to a former worker after he suffered injuries in a serious accident.
Bill Arthur, 63, was driving a vehicle in 2004 when it hit a pothole and threw him from his seat.
He suffered a dislocated elbow, wrist and shoulder, the Shields Gazette reports. As a result, he needed three operations and still suffers with pain four years later.
"Not only was I in a lot of pain and discomfort over a long period, but even now I can’t do everyday things and have to get a lot of help from my family and friends," Mr Arthur commented.
Clancy Docwra, a utilities and civil engineering firm, has now agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of compensation to Mr Arthur after it was ruled that the vehicle’s seatbelt was not working property and that the building site was unsafe.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, construction and agriculture have the highest rates of fatal injuries. In construction, there were 72 fatal incidents during 2007-08.
Tags: Agriculture, Bill Arthur, Civil Engineering Firm, Construction Company, Construction Worker, Damages, Dislocated Elbow, Everyday Things, Family And Friends, Fatal Incidents, Fatal Injuries, Gazette Reports, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Lot, Pothole, Seatbelt, Shields Gazette, Undisclosed Sum
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September 8th, 2008
A quarry has been issued with a fine after a worker was killed in an accident in 2004.
Robert Bickley, 42, became caught in the guard of a crushing machine at Carnsew quarry in Mabe, which mines chalk, slate and stone products.
He died of his injuries and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ordered that the company should be prosecuted.
Aram Resources, owners of the quarry, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and regulation 9 of the Quarries Regulations 1999.
It was ordered to pay £75,000 in fines, as well as £30,000 costs.
HSE inspector Simon Edwards said there is no room for lax safety measures, since a quarry worker is more than twice as likely to be killed through an accident at work as a construction worker.
"Everyone working at a quarry must be properly trained and experienced for the work they do. In this particular instance, the company lacked the competence to identify that the guards provided for the machinery did not comply with health and safety standards," he commented.
Tags: Bickley, Chalk, Competence, Construction Worker, Crushing Machine, Health And Safety, Health And Safety Executive, Health And Safety Standards, Mabe, Provision And Use Of Work Equipment, Provision And Use Of Work Equipment Regulations, Provision And Use Of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Quarries, Quarry Worker, Safety Measures, Simon Edwards, Slate And Stone, Work Equipment Regulations
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