A building contractor and a company owner have been prosecuted after a wall collapsed on top of a 53-year-old worker during refurbishment work in Manchester.

Workspace Design and Build Ltd of Manchester One, Portland Street, Manchester pleaded guilty to breach of Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. It was fined £14,000 with £2,972 in costs.

Paul Harrison of Kirkfell Drive, Tyldsley, Manchester pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 37 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 relating to his companies' breach of Regulation 13 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. He was fined £1,300 with £2,851 in costs.

Manchester Magistrates' Court heard how two workers employed by Access Flooring Specialist were using a demolition hammer to level a freestanding concrete block wall on the refurbishment site at Manchester One, Portland Street on 29 August 2014.

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One of the employees started to cut into the wall just above the half way point when the second man took over and continued from the top using step ladders for access. However, as he did so the top half of the wall collapsed and knocked him from the ladder, landing on top of him.

The injured man fractures to his neck and back and spent three months in hospital. He has been unable to return to work since.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there was no suitable risk assessment in place for the work that was being carried out and the workers had not been provided with suitable work instructions for carrying out this task safely.

In addition, no checks had been made regarding the injured workers training or experience, he was not provided with a site induction or adequate PPE for the task and the work on site was not being supervised.

HSE Inspector Laura Moran said: "The risks associated with the demolition of the internal walls at Manchester One were not properly considered and, as a result, there was no safe system of work in place for the operatives to follow.

"Together with a lack of adequate supervision, these failings resulted in one man suffering serious and life changing injuries, which could have been prevented had the work been properly planned and managed."

(LM/MH)