A term for the worst

摘要

When health and safety consultant Richard Golding was sentenced to nine months in prison last December, a ripple of shock went through the profession. Golding's conviction for his part in the death of construction worker Anghel Milosavlevici in a basement excavation wasn't the first successful prosecution of a safety practitioner (see box on page 24), but the circumstances of the case raised questions about how far professionals are liable for the advice they give, or fail to give. Golding, employed through Allday Safety Services to advise on a basement extension project, provided a method of work for the excavation which stated that the client, Siday Construction, should use a 1.5 tonne excavator and a suction device to remove debris, so that workers could avoid having to enter the trenches.