Company fined £50k after apprentice joiner killed at work

A property management company has been fined, and the Managing Director handed a suspended sentence after the death of an apprentice.

The 18-year-old apprentice joiner was working alone at a property undergoing renovation, when a stack of wooden board material fell on her, causing fatal injuries.

HSE’s investigation found the company had:

• failed to provide safe systems of work
• failed to provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision
• no suitable lone working policy or procedure
• no suitable policy or procedure for the storage of board materials
• an inadequate risk assessment prior to the incident

The investigation also found that these failures were attributable to the neglect of a director.

The company was fined £50,000 and the Director was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years.

For more information about the Health and Safety Executive, visit: HSE: Information about health and safety at work