O'Keefe construction fined after worker burned
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A construction firm has been fined £20,000 after a man
suffered horrific burns to his legs at its depot in Sevenoaks.
O'Keefe Construction (Greenwich) Ltd, of St Andrews House,
Dreadnought Street, Greenwich, pleaded guilty to breaching a
section of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court heard that on October 26, 2009, an
18-year-old man, who asked not to be named, was in a shed at the
site spraypainting a lighting tower. The employee used thinners in
the process and spilled some on his trousers.
When he walked across the shed to go to his locker and find a
change of clothes, he walked near a gas burner which was being used
in the workshop. His clothes caught fire and he ran outside where
colleagues helped who put out the flames.
The worker suffered burns to both legs, his left arm and his
hand. He was in hospital for 16 days, six of which were spent in
intensive care. Since then he has undergone skin grafts and been
unable to work for six months.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found
the spray shed had several health and safety failings. Paint
containers should have had lids on and been stored in
fire-resistant boxes. The company should also have been aware the
mixing of paint and thinners in the shed would lead to a
potentially explosive atmosphere, so a gas burner with open flame
should not have been used in the same space.
The company had executed a risk assessment but had not
implemented the measures identified. A further management action
plan, dated three years after the original assessment, re-iterated
these measures, but they had still not been put in place.
O'Keefe Construction pleaded guilty to breaching section 2 (1)
of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was
fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,329.
Tuesday, March 08 2011
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