Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Sentence for cleaning contractor after tree-felling incident leaves worker in wheelchair
A school operator and a cleaning contractor have both been fined, after a man sustained permanent spinal injuries while felling a tree on school grounds in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
The 59 year-old was using a chainsaw to fell a mature sycamore tree at Bassetsbury Manor in April 2013. He was helping one of the defendants, Paolo Mule, of P&X Complete Cleaning Services, to clear the site to make way for building work. They had been contracted by Alpha Schools to carry out the work.
Aylesbury Crown Court heard last week that a large partially cut branch swung down and hit the ladder on which the worker was standing, throwing him to the ground where he landed on his back, sustaining permanent spinal injuries.vHe is now unable to walk and will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive found Alpha Schools failed to engage competent contractors to undertake the arboriculture work.
The investigation also found that Paolo Mule failed to undertake a risk assessment for the work. There was no safe system of work in place, with no ropes being used and the ladder was not secured. The work was not adequately segregated and there were members of the public nearby.
Alpha Schools, of London Road, High Wycombe was fined £35,000 and ordered to pay £25,000 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It also agreed to pay an ex gratia payment of £50,000 to the injured worker.
Paolo Mule, 33, trading as P&X Complete Cleaning Services, of High Wycombe, was given an 18 months prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay £2,000 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
After the case, HSE Principal Inspector Karl Howes said:
"Arboriculture work remains high risk, particularly work at height in trees. Such work must only be undertaken by competent and trained contractors. All businesses have a duty to ensure they engage in competent contractors when carrying out tree work."
9th July 2015