Construction director banned from running a business after failing to pay health and safety breach fine

A construction firm director has been banned from running a company after failing to pay fines following an accident that left a worker with life-changing injuries. The director owned a specialist company which manufactured and erected steel-framed agricultural and industrial buildings.  In July 2014, a worker at his company was carrying out repairs on a farm building when they fell through a roof, suffering serious injuries.

When the HSE investigated the accident, they found that the company had failed to carry out health and safety plans for the site, did not properly train the employee to carry out fragile roof work and the equipment was inadequate and insufficient for the risks posed.

The director pleaded guilty to breaching three counts of the working at heights regulations and was fined £274,671 in November 2016 – but his company went into liquidation before he paid up, citing the fine as the reason.

But when the Insolvency Service investigated the winding down of the company, they were surprised to learn that a new company was incorporated in October 2014, which carried out fabrication services. If the contracts from the second company had remained with the first, then there would have been sufficient funds to pay the fine.

As a result, the director was banned from running any companies without the permission of a court for six years.