A demolition contractor has been fined £60,000 after a worker was run over by brickwork in an incident that left him ‘lucky to be alive’.
MAC Demolition, the company contracted to carry out the work, was fined for the incident, which took place in Kilburn, north-west London, last year.
The west London firm had been contracted to carry out soft demolition work at the Victorian property on Willesden Lane (pictured), as well as demolishing its roof.
According to a statement from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Tommy Brooks, 57, had been employed as a laborer for three months before the incident. In March 2022, he was said to be cleaning bricks for recovery and was working on the corner of the building when a large piece of masonry fell from his unstable roof and landed on him.
Brooks was left with a broken shoulder and 12 broken ribs, as well as spinal injuries and internal injuries. The injuries were described as “significant and long-term” by the HSE.
HSE investigators found that MAC Demolition had not properly assessed the risk of falling objects during demolition and failed to implement or enforce appropriate exclusion zones.
MAC Demolition Ltd, of Greenford, west London, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 20 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £3,229 in costs at Willesden Magistrates’ Court.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Gordon Nixon said: “Tommy’s injuries were life-changing and he is lucky to be alive.
“This serious incident and the devastation it caused could have been avoided if basic control measures and industry standards had been put in place. Companies need [to] please note that we will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who fall below the required standards.”
The HSE also drew attention to the safe demolition guidance available on their website.
