Emergency procedure failings result in six-figure fine

A company based in the North East has recently been fined due to not having a sufficient rescue plan in place.

Pyeroy Ltd entered a guilty plea to a breach of the health and safety regulations, specifically Regulation 4 (1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

In 2013, Keith Stevens was working on the dismantling of a temporary roof at Devonport Naval Base. As part of the procedure, Stevens, 57, was operating a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP). He was later discovered by his colleagues, trapped between the MEWP controls and a roof beam.

A delay in the rescue procedures occurred, taking longer to lower Stevens to the ground. He died as a result of a pre-existing heart condition.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out an investigation, finding that the work had not been properly planned by Pyeroy Ltd, specifically in the operation of the MEWP in a restricted overhead area. Other workers at Pyeroy were found not to have received the training required in an emergency procedure; namely, to be able to lower the MEWP without delay. The company had failed to implement practice drills.

The company received a fine of £130,000 and was ordered to pay the costs of £14,388.36. Helena Allum, the HSE inspector, said that if the company had provided training for all employees on how to use the MEWP during an emergency situation, it would have been possible to lower the worker to the ground much more quickly.

All companies must provide suitable training, PPE and specialist workwear, to allow workers to act in an emergency.