Taylor Wimpey fined £800k after apprentice falls down stairwell

Charlie Marsh, 17, had been working as a contractor on a Taylor Wimpey website because it constructed round 450 new properties on its Meadfields website in Weston-Tremendous-Mare.

The apprentice bricklayer, from Whitchurch in Bristol, was lower than 12 months into his profession when the incident occurred.

An HSE investigation discovered that on 22 August 2023 Marsh had been loading concrete blocks onto the momentary flooring on the primary ground of one of many newly constructed properties. The blocks had been being loaded into stacks of between 10 and 20, one in all which was on or close to to a short lived stairwell overlaying.

This was a big space coated with a timber sheet materials laid over joists – each of which might be later eliminated to put in the staircase.

However the space collapsed, inflicting Marsh and round 20kg of the concrete blocks to fall greater than two metres to the bottom under. He sustained accidents to his fingers, hand, wrist and shoulder.

The investigation discovered that the joists beneath the timber sheet materials ought to have been again propped. This was talked about a variety of instances in Taylor Wimpey’s personal well being and security guide for the positioning but it surely had been missed on this specific plot.

Taylor Wimpey UK Restricted pleaded responsible to security breaches and was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £6,240.25 prices with a £2000 sufferer surcharge at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court docket.

HSE inspector Derek Mclauchlan mentioned: “Any work involving structural stability is probably excessive threat and correct planning and implementation ought to be given.

“This incident may have been prevented had the proper steps been taken.

“The failures of Taylor Wimpey resulted in a younger man on the very starting of his profession being injured. Charlie was fortunate these accidents weren’t much more severe.

“Classes ought to be realized.”