Sacks of rubble thrown from building window

A Coalville construction firm working in Leicester has been sentenced after workers were spotted throwing sacks of rubble out of a fifth floor window onto a flat roof several metres below from a building project opposite a police station, who called the HSE after seeing unsafe working at open edges with no fall protection.
When HSE inspectors arrived at the site they witnessed the activity first hand, and after investigating prosecuted the firm.
A company director had decided that soft stripping work should begin and walked the site with a worker who was not a site manager and issued instructions, even though he had not ensured that a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey had been carried out on the site before work commenced.
No paperwork was given to the worker regarding the methods to be used to carry out this work, or risk assessments, and no site file existed.
The company admitted breaching of Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £13,000 with £1182.00 costs.