Welfare Facilities Were "Wholly Inadequate"

A builder has been fined after two labourers suffered second degree chemical burns while attempting to lay concrete.

Geoffrey Cinko, aged 55, of East Sheen in London was given a £10,000 penalty and ordered to pay the same amount in costs by magistrates in Westminster.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that two labourers were injured after working for more than four hours in wet concrete.

Although it is a common building material, many people do not realise that concrete is a strong alkali that can cause serious burns or ulcers.

Having been laying concrete on a basement floor for around three hours, one of the men complained of pains in his legs. However, the HSE described the onsite welfare facilities as "wholly inadequate" and he was unable to wash the material off.

Both of the labourers had to receive hospital treatment that evening and they were unable to return to work. One of them was forced to have skin grafts, such was the extent of the burns.

Mr Cinko had employed the workers to help demolish five garages in East Sheen and build two houses in their place, but he failed to provide them with suitable protective gear, which in this case would have consisted of boots that offered protection up to the knee.

Neither of the labourers had been briefed on the risks involved when working with concrete either.

The HSE has clear guidance for using this building material. Not only can it cause skin diseases such as dermatitis, the dust can also lead to serious respiratory problems when hard pieces are broken up.

Following the court hearing, HSE inspector James Hickman said this was an "entirely preventable" accident that left two workers with serious and painful injuries.

He added that Mr Cinko "fell well short" of the safety standards that were needed for this job.

"The risks associated with working with wet concrete are well known and the necessary control measures to protect workers are easily achievable," Mr Hickman commented.

"Yet they received no protection whatsoever from Mr Cinko, who showed a blatant disregard for their safety and welfare."

Our accident at work claims team could help you claim compensation for a burn, laceration or scarring as a result of an accident at work. See our Burns, Scars & Lacerations At Work Claims page for more information.

Expert Opinion

This is a shocking example of the results of safety failings. Concrete is one of the most commonly used substances in the building trade and yet Mr Cinko didn’t warn his employees about the risks of using the material for long periods of time and failed to provide the correct protective equipment. <br/> <br/>“By simply providing a couple of pairs of boots to workers it would probably have prevented two people from being in complete agony, several trips to the hospital, skin grafts and Mr Cinko himself being fined a hefty £20,000. <br/> <br/>“Employers need to wake up and realise that health and safety guidelines are there for a reason. If they are not followed, people will continue to be hurt. We have seen on far too many occasions people suffering horrific injuries and sometimes even fatal accidents due to poor health and safety provision by a business. Hopefully this will be a lesson to all employers and an incident like this doesn’t happen again.” <br/>