Contractor Prosecuted After Spot Check Reveals Multiple Breaches 

A construction contractor has been fined after multiple health and safety issues were identified during a proactive Covid spot check at a site in Manchester.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard that on 9 July 2020, a HSE inspector performed a proactive Covid-19 spot check at a construction site in the city.

During the inspection, a host of safety issues were identified including working at height, welfare, Covid-19, site security, and electricity. The principal contractor was served with a Prohibition Notice and two Improvement Notices.

A return inspection was made on the 17 August 2020, after very little communication from the principal contractor. Little or no improvements had been made regarding the issues and additional enforcement action was required, including a further Prohibition Notice regarding an unsupported excavation. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order. He was also ordered to pay £3,000 towards costs and a victim surcharge of £95.

Since the beginning of the pandemic HSE has carried out more than 316,000 Covid spot checks, with the priority to urgently make workplaces safe from transmission risks, rather than heavy-handed enforcement.

At Prestige Safety Services we could help protect your business by supporting you with practical Health and Safety knowledge and documentation. We also offer various training courses such as: Emergency First Aid at Work, Working at Height, Fire Safety Awareness and many more which can be made bespoke to your company. This helps promote a safe working environment for you employees and keep you on the right side of the law. We work with our clients form a long-term relationship and become a trusted safety partner to your business.

 

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‘A competent person is someone who has sufficient training and

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With our Competent Person Service, we provide Health & Safety advice to enable your organisation to meet the requirements of the Health and Safety law (Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999). This includes Health & Safety policies, advice and documentation tailored to your business to prevent breaches of the regulations, risk assessments and safe systems of work as required by regulations, as well as Health and Safety telephone and email support 365 days a year.