Director in dock for safety failings

Manchester Crown Court heard that between July and December 2018, Imtiaz Hussain, former director of Bradford Builders (UK) Ltd, was the person in control of the work at a construction site of two semi-detached houses in Hollins Road, Oldham. Site inspections in July and August 2018 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) resulted in Prohibition and Improvement Notices being issued for multiple health and safety failings, including unsafe work at height.

On 6 December 2018, a HSE site visit took place following a report of unsafe roof work the previous week. Roof work was being carried out from a scaffold at the rear of the building. Two further Prohibition Notices were served on the two separate scaffolds at the site due to missing guardrails and scaffold boards and the resulting risk of falls from the scaffold.

An investigation by HSE found that Imtiaz Hussain failed to comply with Prohibition Notices issued after the HSE inspector’s visits and to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent falls from height during the roof work.

Imtiaz Hussain, of Richardson Avenue, Bradford, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and two counts of Section 22 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years, 200 hours unpaid work in the community and ordered to pay costs of £5,000.

HSE inspector David Norton said after the hearing: “These risks could so easily have been avoided by simply having suitable scaffolding in place put up by a competent scaffolding contractor. Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards and that failure to comply with Prohibition or Improvement Notices is likely to result in prosecution.”