Street light worker fined over toddler injury
11 November 2011
A toddler suffered an injury to her
head, when part of a streetlight was dropped by a workman as she
was passing underneath.
The HSE investigation found that the incident was entirely
preventable as temporary barriers to segregated pedestrians from
the work area were not used by the worker.
However, the court heard that the worker had been properly trained
by his employer to carry out this kind of work safely. As a
result the worker was found guilty to breaching Section 7(a) of the
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and fined £2,250 plus
£2,888 costs.
Read
more about this case from the Health and Safety
Executive.
Comment: For those undertaking work in the public highway,
it's imperative that steps are taken to protect members of the
public during work activities. This case clearly highlights
individual accountability for safety and the consequences of
failing to do so.