A company has been prosecuted for repeating serious work at height issues across construction sites.

Pride Way Development Ltd of Harrow Road, Wembley, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. It has been fined £200,000 with more than £1,499 in costs.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how following concerns raised by both workers and members of the public, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors made a number of visits to sites where the company had been appointed as the principal contractor during 2016/17.

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During the visits, inspectors identified a number of serious health and safety failings, including unsafe work at height.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Pride Way had repeatedly breached health and safety legislation which gave rise to significant risk of harm, with four notices served for unsafe work at height in the past five years.

Despite a HSE intervention in 2013 resulting in the company drawing up a comprehensive work at height policy, subsequent inspections showed this was being ignored.

HSE Inspector Gabriella Dimitrov said: "Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work fatalities in this country, and the risks associated with working at height are well-known.

"Pride Way has been repeatedly warned by HSE about the need to manage risks, and have today been held to account for failing to take adequate action to protect the health and safety of its workers."

(LM)