Prosecution Over Incident Close To Buckingham Palace

A concrete pumping company has been prosecuted for safety failings after problems with maintenance led to the rupture of a delivery pipe, causing members of the public and a police car to be sprayed with concrete.

London Concrete Pumping Ltd was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £31,000 in relation to the accident in a public place in May 2011, when equipment was being used to pump concrete to a construction site near Buckingham Palace.

However, the pipe ruptured and sent liquid concrete spraying at high velocity. The incident left a passer-by with a head injury and also shattered the window of a police car around 25 metres away.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the pipe had been weakened in a previous incident but not replaced or repaired. It was also revealed that the company’s maintenance regime was inadequate, which was why the pipe was used.

Irwin Mitchell’s public liability claims lawyers represent people left seriously injured as a result of similar incidents, helping them to secure answers over the problems and vital funds for rehabilitation and medical support.

Sally Rissbrook, a solicitor at the firm who specialises in such claims, said: “This kind of incident highlights how health and safety is so important for firms, not just to protect workers but also to ensure the general public are also safe from harm.

“Accidents of this nature should be avoided and it is absolutely vital that lessons are learned from this to ensure that all employers in the construction industry are taking the vital steps they need to.

“The correct maintenance of work equipment is a fundamental part of health and safety.”