A passer-by took photos of the men working on a three-storey office in Horley on 4th February 2014 and sent them to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which investigated.
Redhill Magistrates heard how Jason Hewett, 44, the owner of Crest Scaffolding Services, had put his own life and the lives of two scaffolders in jeopardy by failing to have any fall prevention measures in place.
As shown above, three men can clearly be seen balancing on a single pole with no guardrails to prevent them from falling and no harnesses.
Jason Hewett, of Benhams Drive, Horley, Surrey, was fined £265 and ordered to pay £511 in costs after admitting a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
HSE Inspector Amanda Huff said after the hearing: “Jason Hewett put his own life at risk and the lives of two other workers by carrying out this scaffolding job in a totally unsafe manner. Anyone falling from nine metres would likely be killed and that type of disregard for safety is totally unacceptable.
“Mr Hewett failed to follow basic safety precautions and heed the professional guidance available to scaffolding companies. Where practical when erecting scaffolding, they should work from a fully-boarded scaffold and guardrail. If this is not possible, all scaffolders should wear clipped-on harnesses.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
