Fines Issued After Scaffolding Collapse Injures Pedestrians on Busy High Street

A London construction firm and its sole director have received heavy financial penalties following a scaffolding collapse that left two pedestrians seriously injured. The incident occurred on Putney High Street in south-west London, drawing sharp condemnation from safety regulators.

Westminster Magistrates' Court ordered Add Prop Limited to pay a fine of £20,000 and costs of £7,000. The firm was acting as the principal contractor for a commercial-to-residential conversion project when the mobile tower scaffold overturned on 19 July 2023.

Company director Atif Riaz faced personal prosecution under Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The court fined him £1,730 and ordered an additional £1,730 in prosecution costs, citing his personal negligence.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the temporary structure had been assembled incorrectly. Furthermore, site workers failed to implement adequate safety measures to separate the hazardous work area from passing members of the public.

The situation worsened significantly when workers covered the incorrectly built tower scaffold in protective plastic sheeting. In windy conditions, this sheeting acted as a sail, catching the wind and creating powerful forces that completely destabilised the structure.

The entire tower subsequently toppled directly onto the busy high street, striking and trapping two pedestrians below. Both victims sustained serious injuries from the impact and required emergency assistance to be freed from the heavy collapsed frame.

HSE inspectors established that the principal contractor failed to ensure the temporary structure was properly designed, installed, and maintained. The building firm did not prepare the mobile tower to withstand foreseeable weather loads, specifically the wind forces acting on the sheeting.

The safety watchdog also discovered that the individuals who built and checked the tower lacked proper training and competence. The assembly did not comply with the manufacturer instructions, nor did it follow widely recognised industry guidance for safe scaffolding operations.

Records showed that Add Prop Limited had a history of safety failures prior to this collapse. The company had previously received a formal prohibition notice from safety inspectors regarding unsafe work practices involving a tower scaffold at a different construction site.

Mr Riaz was present on the site overseeing the operations on the day of the collapse. He was performing multiple roles, working simultaneously as the project manager and the site supervisor, making him directly responsible for safety oversight.

The safety regulator noted that risks concerning wind loading on sheeted scaffolds are well documented. Despite this established industry knowledge, neither the director nor the company took appropriate precautions before choosing to install the plastic sheeting.

The company was found guilty of breaching Regulation 19(2)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM). This regulation mandates that all temporary structures must be safe and stable under expected environmental conditions.

HSE Inspector Daniel Burton stated that the public has a right to expect safe scaffolding installations on high streets. He noted that people are injured every year when towers overturn, describing this specific south-west London incident as entirely avoidable.

"The fines imposed on Add Prop Limited and Atif Riaz should underline to everyone in the construction industry that the courts, and HSE, take failures to follow health and safety requirements extremely seriously," Inspector Burton added. This penalty reflects the severe risks posed to pedestrians by negligent site management.