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Landowner fined after builder was seriously injured in wall collapse

A collapsed barn in Derbyshire

A collapsed barn in Derbyshire

A landowner has been fined and hit with a community order after a man was seriously injured when a wall collapsed.

Nigel Edwards failed to have a structural assessment carried out on his outbuildings before having a barn conversion carried out on his property in Derbyshire.

He was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and was found guilty of breaching Regulations 19(1) and 20(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.

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The HSE investigation found significant alterations were made to the building, but no measures had been put in to stabilise it.

There was also no plan to safely dismantle parts of the building, which put workers and members of the public at risk of injury or death from full or partial collapse.

The victim in the incident was Steven Tyson, who was seriously injured after a wall fell on him on 8 October 2021.

The victim, Steven Tyson, a father of two, sustained a catalogue of serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, a bleed on the brain, and a fractured skull.

His injuries meant he spent 18 days in hospital in significant pain.

The Covid-19 restrictions of the time also meant his family wasn't allowed to visit him.

He said: "The pain was made worse by the fact I was unable to see my daughters in hospital due to the Covid-19 restrictions on visitors.

"I am still in pain today and struggle to put weight on my right ankle.

"Due to the traumatic head injury, I was unable to drive for six months."

The incident also caused him to lose the sight in one eye and hearing in one ear.

Steven Tyson was seriously injured in the incident

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Robert Gidman said: "It is vital that all demolition and dismantling is adequately planned and that a competent structural engineer is engaged by those in control of work where there is the risk of collapse of any structure.

"If this project had been planned effectively, engaging the right people at the right time to ensure a suitable safe system of work was implemented, the life changing injuries sustained by the injured person could have been prevented."

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