Property owner sentenced after builder suffered life changing injuries
A Derbyshire property owner has been given a community order and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work after a stone wall collapsed on a father-of-two during a barn conversion at his home in Woodhouses.
The owner, Nigel Edwards, failed to have a structural assessment of the outbuildings carried out as part of his planning for the project. The outbuildings were being converted into holiday let accommodation when the wall collapsed on 40-year-old Steven Tyson, causing life-threatening injuries, including a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain, and multiple broken bones.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Nigel Edwards had failed to have a structural assessment of the outbuildings undertaken prior to starting the work. As a result, no measures had been identified or implemented to stabilise the building while undergoing the alteration. Similarly, there was no plan in place for dismantling parts of the building safely, exposing workers and members of the public to the risk of injury or death from the full or partial collapse of the structures.
Steven Tyson suffered multiple broken bones, including a fractured skull when the wall collapsed
The site where the wall collapsed in Woodhouses, Derbyshire
Mr Tyson, who has been left blind in one eye as well as losing hearing in his right ear, expressed how the incident had left him unable to work in the construction industry and impacted his hobbies. The injuries have also left him in immense pain and have impacted him psychologically.
The HSE inspector, Robert Gidman, emphasised the importance of planning all demolition and dismantling work effectively and engaging the right people to ensure a suitable safe system of work is implemented. He stated that if this project had been planned effectively, the life-changing injuries sustained by Mr Tyson could have been prevented.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of adhering to health and safety regulations in construction work to avoid incidents that could result in severe injuries or even fatalities. It is crucial to ensure that all structural assessments are undertaken, and suitable measures are put in place to stabilise the building while undergoing alterations, as well as having a plan in place for dismantling parts of the building safely.
