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Builder drops timber onto small child

5 Jun 19 A self-employed builder has been given a suspended jail sentence after dropping a plank onto a small child who may never fully recover.

The site in Preston Street, Brighton
The site in Preston Street, Brighton

The three-year-old girl suffered severe head injuries when a length of timber fell on her while it was being hoisted up the outside of a scaffold.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court heard how on 6th July 2018, the girl was being pushed in a buggy by her mother along Preston Street in Brighton. As they passed scaffolding, erected on the pavement for refurbishment work to a flat above, a length of timber fell from approximately 10 metres and hit the girl on the head.

The child suffered life changing injuries and, while she has made significant progress, it is not yet known whether she will make a full recovery.

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An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that the builder in control of the works was Grzegorz Glowacki, who had tied the timber to a rope to lift it up the outside of the scaffold using a pulley system. However, the knot used was not suitable and the timber slipped out, falling to the ground. There was no exclusion zone in place to prevent anyone being underneath a dropped load.

Grzegorz  Glowacki of Rugby Road, Brighton, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8 (1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus 220 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to repay full costs of £5,727.92.

HSE inspector Stephen Green said after the hearing: “This horrendous incident would have been the last thing on the minds of this little girl and her mum as they set off for a fun day out at the beach. The impact this incident has had on the girl and her family was easily prevented by simply stopping people from walking beneath the suspended timber whilst it was lifted. This risk should have been identified by Mr Glowacki. Companies and individuals should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action when members of the public are needlessly put at risk.”

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