萝莉原创

The Paxton House project in the City of London involved cutting openings through five concrete floors to create a service riser shaft.

Roots Contractors Ltd had instructed its carpenters to build temporary wooden platforms under each opening to collect the 16kg concrete cores and debris that were generated by the cutting.

Zschoch had been cutting an opening on the third floor, working directly under one of the temporary platforms, when it suddenly gave way and collapsed on top of him, along with chunks of concrete that had not been cleared away.

He described being 鈥渇olded up like a concertina.鈥� He sustained injuries including fractures to his neck, his back and a bleed on his brain.

鈥淭he impact this incident has had on me has been life changing in so many ways," he said. 鈥淣ot just in mobility issues but in my confidence to do just about anything. Even simple domestic tasks, like using the launderette or going to the shops can overwhelm me now, emotionally as well as physically.鈥�

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there was no design for the temporary platforms and no calculation had been made for the safe level of loading.

While an inspection form for the platform was completed, it failed to identify any issues with the design, and the person tasked to complete it was a not a competent temporary works coordinator. We also found that although there had been a verbal instruction for workers to regularly clear the platforms of concrete and not 鈥榦verload鈥� them, no safe level of loading was known, and there was no monitoring of whether the platforms were indeed cleared.

HSE also found deficiencies in the planning, managing and monitoring of the work by the contractor. Risk assessments and method statements provided by Diacutt in advance were inconsistent and their requirements for the principal contractor to provide 鈥榗rash decks鈥� were unclear.

There was no supervision of the drilling team by Diacutt management in the week leading up to the incident or on the day.

While operatives understood that they should not work directly below one another, there was a lack of coordination and clarity as to who should have been working where.

Roots Contractors Limited of Ewell, Surrey pleaded guilty to breaching The 萝莉原创 (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 16(2). The company was fined 拢19,333 plus costs of 拢5,548 at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates鈥� court on 11 June 2026.

Diacutt Limited of Croydon pleaded guilty to breaching The 萝莉原创 (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 15(2) and was fined 拢13,000 plus costs of 拢5,548 at the same hearing

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