Prison and work at height

摘要

In this feature, we look at two prosecutions that resulted in immediate custodial terms for a company director and a contracts manager, and two cases that ended with suspended terms for two company directors, for unsafe practices on construction sites. Among a range of failures, all four cases involved failure to provide preventive and protective measures against falls from height. Both immediate sentences resulted from a fatality, while neither case with a suspended sentence involved actual harm. In three of the four cases, the offenders had - in one way or another - received warnings and advice from the HSE over considerable periods of time.