Saleh Properties Ltd, of North Evington, Leicester, was demolishing a disused factory in Orson Street on 21 April 2010 to make way for new homes when an inspector from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that the building was at risk of uncontrolled collapse.
Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard that workers had removed structural parts of the building without supporting it properly. Some workers were even spotted standing on the roof, demolishing parts of the building by hand, and were working at height without suitable equipment to prevent falls.
The HSE inspector immediately stopped work and served prohibition notices preventing any more activity until a demolition plan was in place and a competent supervisor was on site.
Missing safety signs and fencing were ordered to be installed to ensure members of the public were kept away from the unsafe building.
Saleh Properties Ltd, of 109 Coleman Road, North Evington pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 9 (1)(a) and 28 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and two breaches of Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The company was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,084.
HSE inspector Stephen Farthing said: "Saleh Properties showed a horrendous disregard for health and safety which was not only putting workers at risk, but also passing members of the public going about their daily lives. There was a real danger of this building collapsing.
"The site supervisor had no training in health and safety, no method statements or risk assessments had been carried out before the work started and there were no welfare facilities for workers.
"To run a construction company in this manner is wholly unacceptable and this prosecution shows that HSE will clamp down on small construction companies failing to adhere to basic health and safety regulations."
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