February 9, 2021
A firm has been fined after scaffolding collapsed across the entrance to the car park of Coventry Skydome.
The scaffolding had been erected to protect the public from falling debris. On 3 March 2020, the scaffolding, which was approximately 13 metres long and four metres high, had blown down in high winds.
Investigating, the HSE found that the scaffolding was not adequately fixed into the structure and was not designed and installed to withstand foreseeable wind loads. The management of the scaffolding operation was well below the expected standard because it did not identify the need for a bespoke design, which is required to ensure the strength and stability of the proposed scaffolding structure.
Climar Scaffolding Limited of Widney Avenue, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 19(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,532.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Edward Fryer said: “Scaffolds need to be adequately tied, in line with the recognised health and safety requirements or a bespoke design should be created based on established engineering principals. In this case the scaffolding was not properly designed or adequately tied into the permanent structure.
“It’s only a matter of fortune that nobody was seriously injured, the collapse presented a significant risk to the safety of the public.”
This is valid as of 9th February 2021.
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