House builder prosecuted after child sustains serious accident injury

A house builder has been prosecuted and fined £20,000 after an eight year old boy sustained a serious accident injury.

The incident occurred when the claimant got into an unsecured storage area on the BDW Trading Ltd construction site in Paisley.

While playing in the storage area, some timber roof trusses fell onto the boy, trapping him underneath until he was rescued by two neighbours.

The child sustained serious injury to his liver and had abdominal bleeding. Following the accident, he also developed symptoms of anxiety.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the construction site was only partially fenced and could be easily accessed by members of the public.

Moreover, the roof trusses were stacked in an unstable fashion.

Gerry McCulloch, HSE inspector, commented: "If the company had taken the straightforward precaution of fencing off the construction site, the children would not have been able to get into the area and this young lad would not have received potentially life-threatening injuries."

Construction companies have a legal responsibility to make a thorough risk assessment of all sites, including those risks posed to local residents.

Published by Kevin Round