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A Newquay hotel has been fined £3,000 for putting workers at risk during construction work.
Bluechip Hotels in Porth pleaded guilty at Bodmin Magistrates Court yesterday to breaching section 2(1) and section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for failing to provide guardrails on a bridge over an excavation site. The company was fined £1,500 for each offence.
Bluechip Hotels was also ordered to pay £2,000 in costs.
The court heard inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the site at Glendorgal Resort, Lusty Glaze Road, Newquay, during February and March 2008.
The inspectors were concerned that some employees were being asked to work at height without suitable precautions being taken. They also raised concerns about blocked walkways around the site.
Two Improvement Notices were served, but during a follow-up visit in March 2008 inspectors discovered work was continuing in the same way, prompting HSE to prosecute the company.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Barry Trudgian said: "Forty-one employees suffered major injuries following falls from height in Cornwall in 2008/09. This toll may have been even higher if the unsafe working practices at this site had continued.
"Construction companies must make the safety of their workers a priority, not leave it as an after-thought.
"Simple measures can be taken to ensure the safety of employees on construction sites, such as providing guardrails where necessary and keeping the site clear of hazards such as rubbish."
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