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A recent prosecution has highlighted how, even when a death is not caused directly by Health & Safety failings, but – neglect of Health & Safety can still land a site manager in court. 

This case emerged after a worker was discovered dead on site – the death was from natural causes, not a fall or structural collapse. But, when inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited after the RIDDOR report was logged, they found a catalogue of serious failings across the site.

At HazardCo, we wanted to bring this to your attention as it’s so important that your Health & Safety processes are secure across the entire site, not just where you are working.

The Prosecution – Facts

• A construction client, responsible for a project in Hackney, London, was found guilty of breaching the CDM Regulations (2015).
• The case came to light after a worker was sadly found dead on site. His death was later confirmed to be from natural causes – not the result of a Health & Safety breach. But once a RIDDOR report was filed and the HSE attended, inspectors uncovered a wide range of serious safety failings across the project. What they found showed a site where risks had been left to build up unchecked, long before anyone arrived to investigate.
• The builder was sentenced to a twelve-week prison term (suspended for one year) and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs.

Why this matters: it wasn’t just ‘one error’ – it was a culture of not taking Health & Safety seriously.

Essentially, what happened to cause HSE to visit the site did not land the builder in a situation with the conviction and costs, it was what they uncovered over a period of five separate visits, that hadn’t caused any incidents or accidents (yet!). 

The HSE doesn’t look kindly on clients who don’t set up proper safeguards. Clients – whether a private individual or a commercial developer – are legally obliged to put in place “suitable arrangements for managing the project” so that those doing the work can carry it out safely.

What Builders, Contractors, and trades should take from this:

• Accidents happen, they happen everyday – and no one is expecting anyone to be perfect. Sites can be dangerous places and the expectation is that reasonable measures and risk management is in place to keep your crew safe. 
• Don’t assume everything is fine and don’t wait for ‘something to happen’.
• Taking time and proper care on Health & Safety isn’t wasting resources or money – it’s investing in prevention. After all, enforcement action (and reputational damage) can hit harder than logging on to the HazardCo app and doing the job right.

What’s HazardCo and how can it help me do the right thing?

HazardCo is a Health & Safety company, aiming to embed safe working into the culture of construction sites. Our space is primarily small to medium sized businesses, offering a user-friendly app with guided and templated RAMS, a Construction Phase Plan generator, clear processes, site checklists, a toolbox talk library and more. At HazardCo, we’re on your side and we want to help UK builders do Health & Safety right, without complication and affordably.  The last thing we want to do at HazardCo is scare builders in the UK – we say this all the time, we’re on your side.

Get in touch with us to see if we can help you.