Prosecutions
Motorcyclist in intensive care after incident at road works
22/10/2009
An infrastructure company based in Basingstoke was recently fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £31,139.30, after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Motorcyclist in intensive care after incident at road works
An infrastructure company based in Basingstoke was recently fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £31,139.30, after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
On 7 June 2006, three of the company’s employees were carrying out repairs to the A1060 at Boyton Cross, near Chelmsford. The road was reduced to a single lane, with a simple control system in place, one person with a Stop/Go board. Signs were also set out in advance of the roadworks to warn road users. However, a motorcyclist travelling along the open side of the road collided head-on with a car travelling towards him in the opposite direction. The motorcyclist received serious injuries and was admitted to intensive care.
The subsequent HSE investigation identified the road layout in place was not appropriate for the traffic flows along that particular stretch of road. In particular, there was no road sign to alert users to the traffic control system ahead. Nor was a supervisor present to take charge of the works gang.
A HSE investigator commented:
"This serious incident could and should have been prevented by the company by ensuring safe systems of working were in place. Where information to road users at roadworks is not prominent, accurate and clear, both workers and road users are at great risk. HSE will not hesitate to take action against any business with this level of responsibility that fails to comply with the law.”
An infrastructure company based in Basingstoke was recently fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £31,139.30, after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
On 7 June 2006, three of the company’s employees were carrying out repairs to the A1060 at Boyton Cross, near Chelmsford. The road was reduced to a single lane, with a simple control system in place, one person with a Stop/Go board. Signs were also set out in advance of the roadworks to warn road users. However, a motorcyclist travelling along the open side of the road collided head-on with a car travelling towards him in the opposite direction. The motorcyclist received serious injuries and was admitted to intensive care.
The subsequent HSE investigation identified the road layout in place was not appropriate for the traffic flows along that particular stretch of road. In particular, there was no road sign to alert users to the traffic control system ahead. Nor was a supervisor present to take charge of the works gang.
A HSE investigator commented:
"This serious incident could and should have been prevented by the company by ensuring safe systems of working were in place. Where information to road users at roadworks is not prominent, accurate and clear, both workers and road users are at great risk. HSE will not hesitate to take action against any business with this level of responsibility that fails to comply with the law.”