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Fine for unsafe scaffolding after HSE inspector drives past project
Cristina Lago Deputy Editor
The dangerous scaffolding outside Belgrave Crescent, Eccles, Manchester (Image: HSE)
A Manchester rendering company has been fined £3,000 after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector noticed unsafe scaffolding on a house renovation as he was driving past.
The colour of the house had changed since the inspector's previous visit, indicating that the company had continued to use the scaffolding despite the Prohibition Notice (Image: HSE)
The company had been issued with a Prohibition Notice in February 2023 after the HSE inspector spotted the dangerous scaffolding at the property, but disregarded it.
The inspector noted there were gaps in the scaffolding, putting the company’s staff at risk of falling from height.
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RS Rendering Specialists had also failed to plan the work safely at the property and a mandatory weekly inspection of the scaffolding had not been carried out.
The Prohibition Notice banned the company from using the offending scaffolding. However, a few days later, the same HSE inspector drove past the property again and noticed that two workers from the company were operating on the scaffolding.
‘Such actions won’t be tolerated’
RS Rendering Specialists Limited, of Athol Road Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 4(1) and 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 24 November 2023.
HSE inspector Phil Redman said: “We will not hesitate to prosecute companies who choose to ignore enforcement notices issued to prevent risks from falls from height or any other health and safety related matters.
“This case highlights how such actions will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
The January/February 2026 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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