Building Site Safety

A developer who put lives at risk by failing to comply with two formal safety warnings from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been fined £2,000.

Mahmood Khokar, 29, failed to make an excavation safe in a residential area and did not act after receiving two improvement notices from a HSE inspector following a visit to the site on June 1 last year.

A 1.8m deep pit had been dug for the foundations of a house extension on Denmark Street in Chadderton. The notices required fencing to be put up to prevent people from falling into the pit and for the excavation to be made safe to stop it collapsing.

Mr Khokhar, of Fern Street, Oldham, pleaded guilty to two offences under Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 after failing to comply with the improvement notices. He was ordered to pay £1,725 towards the cost of the prosecution in addition to the fine at Trafford Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

HSE construction inspector Laura Moran said: "Mr Khokhar ignored the warnings and advice we gave him about the safety of the site. There was a well-used path and an alley along the side and back of the property so there were plenty of passers-by."

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David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: “I welcome the fine imposed here.

“It is appalling that not only can someone fail to comply with the law, but they are prepared to ignore warnings from the HSE.

“Individuals or companies, who fail to comply with legal requirements, pose a risk to worker safety or the safety of members of the public.”