Industry news
Construction worker hit by bus
Posted Tue, 24 Apr 2012
A national building firm has been fined £12,000 after a worker fell into the path of a bus in central London.
Leszek Soltysiak suffered serious injuries when he fell four metres from the cage of a 20-tonne cherry-picker in Euston Road. He was then hit by a bus, which pushed him for 15 metres along the road.
At the time of the incident, Mr Soltysiak was carrying out repair work with a colleague at the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel and Chambers. The pair's employer, Galliford Try Construction Limited, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive after an investigation found that the company had failed to properly plan and supervise the work.
Mr Soltysiak, from Camden, suffered serious head, arm, pelvis and leg injuries in the incident. He was only well enough to return to work earlier this year, magistrates heard.
Galliford Try Construction Limited, of Cowley Business Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £16,459.70 at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Copyright Press Association 2012