£7,500 fine for demolition company following ceiling collapse

In May 2010 labourer Daniel Cope along with another man were sent into the Old Fish House in Grimsby Docks to remove asbestos debris following the removal of asbestos roof sheets with an excavator. As Mr Cope entered the building one corner of the ceiling collapsed and hit him hard on the head. His injuries were severe neck bruising and a broken knee. Luckily, the other labourer was not hurt.

The HSE investigated what could have just been an unforseen accident, but the investigation revealed otherwise. The demolition firm employing him, H. Cope and Sons (Demolition) Ltd. knew the roof joists were rotten and that is why the roof sheets had not been removed before demolition commenced.

Earlier this month H. Cope and Sons pleaded guilty to breaching safety regulations and were fined £7,500. Mr Cope is still recovering from his injuries.

Dave Redman, principal HSE inspector, commented:

"Sending two workers into a partially demolished building to sort roofing material brought down by machine very nearly resulted in a fatal incident. There was a large dent and crack in Daniel's hard hat afterwards - a stark indication of how close he came to severe injury ... It's common practice in the industry to prevent anyone entering a building under demolition because of the potential instability and falling debris. This firm disregarded recognised procedures and exposed workers to danger."