Scaffolding death: prison sentence
Health and Safety Executive v Mark Anthony Hayes t/a WSS Scaffolding (2014) Southwark Crown Court, September 4.
Mark Anthony Hayes, the owner of WSS Scaffolding, has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment following the death of a scaffolder.
Significant points of the case
In July 2012 Grant Dunmall, a scaffolder employed by Hayes, fell 14 metres to his death from a tower scaffold in Notting Hill.
There was no edge protection on the scaffold and no other means, for example a fall arrest harness, to prevent or mitigate a fall.
Hayes had failed to properly plan, supervise and carry out work at height in a safe manner.
In 2013 Hayes had been fined for failing to provide legally required documents related to his management of work at height after he had ignored a notice to prduce served by the HSE.
Hayes was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for a breach of regulation 4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
A spokesperson for the HSE is reported to have commented after the case that the investigation into Dunmall’s death had been delayed because of Hayes’ lack of co-operation. His wilful obstruction served to accentuate the fact that his systems and procedures for safely managing work at height were sorely lacking and fell short of the standards expected from a competent scaffolder.
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