Worker loses leg building Arsenal stadium

Grant Prior 13 years ago
Share

Three contractors have been fined a total of £54,000 after a worker helping build Arsenal’s Ashburton Grove stadium was injured so badly, his leg had to be amputated.

A dumper truck drove over the right leg of Michael O’Donovan, 41, from Bromley, while he was kneeling to clean steel shuttering.

His injuries were so severe his leg required amputation above the knee. His pelvis was also fractured in the incident on 30 June 2005.

Main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine Limited and subcontractors McNicholas Plc (now Skanska Utilities Ltd) and Maylim Limited have now been fined following the incident.

City of London Magistrates’ Court heard the HSE investigation showed all three companies had failed to ensure vehicles and pedestrians were properly segregated on site.

It also found the cleaning of shuttering was neither properly planned nor carried out safely.

Following the hearing HSE inspector Loraine Charles said:

“Traffic needs to be managed effectively on all construction sites.

“Had proper controls been in place, this appalling incident would never have happened. As it is, Michael O’Donovan has suffered a severe injury and his life has been changed for ever.

“At construction sites, workers and vehicles need to be separated wherever reasonably practicable. There was no demarcation between the route the dumper took and areas where people could work or were working on this site.

“None of these three companies had carried out a meaningful assessment of the risk to workers of being struck by plant in general and the dumper in particular.”

Sir Robert McAlpine was fined £19,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.

Skanska Utilities Limited was fined £17,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000 while Maylim Limited was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.

Latest news

Construction T Level scrapped due to lack of demand

Courses canned after less than 100 sign-up for latest round
5 hours ago

Bid rigging probe launched into school repair work

Firms raided this week with focus on roofing contracts
1 day ago

McLaren hires ex-ISG regional boss for north east expansion

Andrew Beaumont becomes MD of new Yorkshire and North East business
13 hours ago

Government commits to four new prisons in seven years

£2.3bn pledged for new prison build programme
1 day ago

Road and rail delays hit revenue at Van Elle

Turnover drops 5% as markets remain challenging for piling specialist
13 hours ago

Boot reports ‘noticeable improvement’ in planning system

Government planning reforms already unblocking council planning
13 hours ago

Go-ahead to revamp former London city hall

Project will straighten the building's leaning profile with terraces to every level
21 hours ago

United Living to divert Midlands gas pipeline

600m pipeline diversion clears way for M54 to M6 link road construction
12 hours ago

Credit insurance saves Billington from ISG hit

Steel specialist puts on extra shifts at its plants to cope with demand
2 days ago

M&E specialist Dodd doubles profit on retrofit surge

Family-owned Telford specialist delivers record revenue of nearly £250m
2 days ago

Go-ahead for 800-home Croydon dual towers

One Lansdowne Road build to rent scheme to cost £260m to build
2 days ago

Construction inflation set to return raising tender prices

End of 2024 to mark the bottom of present inflationary trough
2 days ago

Start date for vast Balfour and Costain carbon capture power job

£4bn Teesside project to start construction next year creating 3,000 jobs
2 days ago

Plans go in to start revamp of North Finchley town centre

Developer Regal unveils first details of Barnet masterplan
2 days ago

Glencar bags £18m Big Yellow London store

Six-storey stoarage centre to be built at Staples Corner
1 day ago

Plan unveiled for 31-storey London Fenchurch Street tower

Demolition work to start in 2026 for new office tower
3 days ago

Vinci Building buys tower cranes for first time

Contractor invests in two WOLFFKRAN all-electric cranes at £138m Sheffield site
3 days ago

30 local firms land United Utilities £500m framework

Minor works deal win for North West civils and M&E specialists
3 days ago

Restructure pays off as Higgins returns to profit

Housing contractor recovers from £25.9m loss last year
3 days ago

Former Heathrow boss joins Mace in board rejig

Firm completes string NED appointments to expanded group board
3 days ago

Planning officers to get powers to bypass committee stage for housing

Rayner reform plan to cut out local council planning committees
3 days ago

National Insurance hike to delay construction recovery

Arcadis paints varied picture with full recovery delayed until 2026
4 days ago

Gratte Bros rides out cost rises with profit increase

M&E specialist warns of further upward pressure on wage costs
4 days ago

Sellar’s 36-storey London City office tower approved

Demolition work to start in 2026 at 60 Gracechurch Street site
5 days ago

Roofers caught using phone lights to work at night

Roofing boss handed suspended prison sentence for lack of edge protection
4 days ago

£380m North West housing framework out for bid

St Helens-based Torus aims to build 9,000 homes by 2029
4 days ago

Historic property magazine to close

Estates Gazette has been in business since 1858
6 days ago

M&S Marble Arch rebuild approved after three-year planning fight

Plans were delayed when Michael Gove backed carbon campaigners
1 week ago

£191m revamp funding approved for London Barbican Centre

Construction to start in 2027 on five-year programme
7 days ago

RED Construction tops £100m turnover

Builder maintains profit margin at 1.7% as business nearly doubles in size
7 days ago

Contractor services