A building firm director was partially buried, a court has heard, when the high sides of an excavation collapsed on him.
Paul Connolly, director of PNT Contractors Ltd, based in Bushey needed to be rescued by workers following the excavation collapse at an Essex site in July 2014. He was taken to hospital following the incident with a broken leg and ankle.
Southend Magistrates’ Court heard that PNT Contractors Ltd was conducting extensive ground work at the site in Bilericay when the incident happened. Mr Connolly had been using an excavator to dig into the sides of a slope, leaving excavation sides measuring up to 2.5 metres unsupported.
Mr Connolly and a colleague were working in the excavation when it collapsed. Whilst the second worker was able to jump to safety, Mr Connolly was partially buried and became trapped by the falling earth. He needed to be dug out by hand by two of his employees.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served a prohibition notice the day after the incident occurred stopping any further work from being conducted until the excavation was made safe. The HSE launched an investigation and prosecuted Mr Connolly and the company at the court last week (4th March).
PNT Contractors Ltd was fined a total of £15,000 alongside prosecution costs of £1,176 after it admitted to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. Paul Connolly was fined £15,000 alongside costs of £1,176 after admitting to a similar breach by virtue of him being a director of the company.
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