Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 15th November 2016, Cheshire Demolition & Excavation Contractors Limited was demolishing a derelict nightclub in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. The two workers climbed into a pick bin and were lifted by an excavator.
The bin suddenly released from the arm of the excavator, causing both men to be ejected from the bin and fall approximately about metres onto a pile of bricks and rubble.
Both sustained serious injuries. One worker suffered a broken back and the other sustained a fractured skull.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that the contractor did not properly plan the work and failed to provide suitable access equipment. The company had provided a scissor lift on site, but decided to remove it from the site prior to the incident. The operatives had no other means of accessing areas at height.
Cheshire Demolition & Excavation Contractors Limited, of Moss Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £134,000 with £6,303.04 costs.
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