A London construction company and its director have been fined after a scaffold tower fell onto two members of the public on a busy high street in southwest London.
The mobile tower, assembled by operatives working for Add Prop Limited, was found to be incorrectly constructed and covered in sheeting, following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The sheeting acted "as a sail" in windy conditions, causing the tower to topple on Putney High Street on July 19, 2023, trapping two people and resulting in serious injuries to both.
Add Prop Limited was acting as the principal contractor on a project to convert a commercial building into residential flats, with sole director Atif Riaz serving as both project manager and site supervisor on the day of the incident.
The HSE investigation found multiple failings, including a failure to ensure the temporary structure was designed, installed and maintained so that it could withstand foreseeable loads, including wind.
The company had previously been served with a Prohibition Notice in relation to unsafe work involving a tower scaffold at another site.
HSE further found that Mr Riaz had been negligent in his role as both sole director and project manager.
Following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Add Prop Limited was found guilty of breaching Regulation 19(2)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
It was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 in costs.
Mr Riaz was fined £1,730 and ordered to pay £1,730 in costs.
HSE Inspector Daniel Burton said: “The public have a right to expect scaffolding they pass by is safe and has been properly installed – yet every year people are injured when scaffold towers overturn.
“In this case, two members of the public suffered serious injuries when a scaffold tower overturned on a busy high street. The risks associated with scaffold towers and wind loading are well known within the construction industry – this kind of incident simply should not happen.
“The fines imposed on Add Prop Limited and Atif Riaz should underline to everyone in the construction industry that the courts, and HSE, take failures to follow health and safety requirements extremely seriously.
“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies and, where appropriate, directors who fail to do all that they should to keep workers and members of the public safe.”
