North Ayrshire based McTaggart Construction Limited pled guilty to a breach of construction regulations and health and safety legislation at Glasgow Sheriff Court on 10th October 2024 after failing to take steps to ensure the safety of workers.
The prosecutor told the court that on 4th February 2022 at a construction site in Castlemilk a 27-year-old roofer was in the basket of mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) that was raised to allow repairs to cladding. The operator was also in the basket.
At about midday a double-decker bus struck the knuckle of the boom, which was protruding over the roadway. The force of the collision momentarily lifted the MEWP onto its two rear wheels and caused its boom to slew and strike a nearby lamppost.
The roofer, who was not secured within the basket, was catapulted from the basket and fell onto the roof of a parked car before falling to the pavement. He suffered severe injury and permanent impairment because of the incident.
The cherry picker operator managed to stay in the basket.
The subsequent Health & Safety Executive investigation found that McTaggart Construction, as principal contractor, had failed to ensure that the work being carried out at height was properly planned and that adequate personal protective equipment was used.
There were also no suitable measures in place to effectively segregate the MEWP from traffic.
Following the incident the company took remedial and preventative action with an overhaul of its processes and policies.
