Firm fined over beam injuries tragedy

A YORKSHIRE house-building firm has been fined 30,000 after a bricklayer was left paralysed from the chest down when he was crushed by a falling beam on a construction site in Huddersfield.

Anton Burrows, 24, from Dewsbury, was left quadraplegic and unable to swallow as a result of the tragic incident in April last year.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that Mr Burrows had been assisting a forklift truck driver who was trying to position the 305kg steel beam on two brick pillars during the construction of a house at the Suede development on Oxley Road, Brackenhall.

As the driver was retracting the forks he accidentally caught another lever with his arm causing the forks to tilt upwards knocking the beam off the pillars.

Prosecutor Ruth Cranidge said at the time Mr Burrows had walked into the area of the lifting operation and the beam landed diagonally across him.

She said Mr Burrows could not recall the incident and it was not known why he went into the danger zone.

Mr Burrows had extensive metalwork put in his neck and when he woke was unable to breathe unaided and could not move any part of his body.

He was in intensive care for a week and a half before being moved to a high dependency unit.

Eventually he was able to breathe on his own and was released from hospital into his parents’ home.

He now has to be fed through a tube and needs 24-hour care.

In June this year Strata Homes Yorkshire Limited pleaded guilty to a charge under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

Recorder David Bradshaw heard that similar lifting operations had taken place without any incidents or near misses and the family-run company had an unblemished record over 90 years.

Although a risk assessment had been carried out on the morning of the lift, Miss Cranidge submitted that the operation should not have been supervised by Mr Burrows or the forklift driver.

She said the supervision on the day was inadequate and the risks involved were foreseeable.

The court heard that Strata Homes had reported the incident promptly and had cooperated fully with the Health and Safety Executive investigation.

Barrister Mark Turner QC, for the firm, said they were genuinely surprised and horrified by what had happened.

Recorder Bradshaw said the case was a tragedy for all the parties involved in particular the family of Mr Burrows who at the age of 24 was now severely disabled for life.

The judge stressed that it was not a case of the company cutting corners to save money.

In addition to the 30,000 fine the judge ordered the firm to pay costs totalling just over 16,000.