Lidl supermarket construction site

Prosecutions and Claims |
01.05.2007

A "highly cavalier" attitude to safety has cost a German construction firm and its UK subsidiary more than £160 000 after the HSE investigated nine complaints from members of the public about a Lidl supermarket construction site in Nottingham.

"What makes this site so unusual," said HSE inspector Martin Giles, "and so dangerously unsafe, is the sheer number of the hazards - all of which would have been simple to resolve."

The executive prosecuted Re-Bau GmBH and Re-Construction UK over poor safety standards at the Lidl store site, despite the fact that there were no injuries involved. Prompted by complaints from the public, inspectors visited the site on 11 November 2005 and on another three days. They served three Prohibition Notices to stop the most hazardous activities, covering dangerous working at height, vehicle and pedestrian segregation, safety of excavations, failure to wear the correct personal protective equipment, movement of loads, and fire safety. The HSE had already offered the companies extensive advice: from July 2003 to November 2005, the two firms had collected seven Prohibition Notices at other sites.

On the Nottingham Lidl site, Giles said the firms left employees without adequate supervision, and untrained workers had to make important decisions without any proper coordination.

"The site was not being effectively managed and the contractors had highly cavalier attitudes, which showed a reckless disregard of health and safety procedures and requirements," he said.

Examples of poor practices included the removal of edge protection while roof work continued, scaffolding set up in an excavation, workers without head protection, and unsafe ladder use.

On 22 March, the judge at Nottingham Crown Court fined Re-Bau £100,000 after it admitted failing to protect employees and others under Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Re-Construction UK received a £50,000 fine after pleading guilty to a single charge under Section 3(1) of the Act. The firms each paid HSE costs of £6,188.