Construction News June 2013

Holders of phoney competence cards arrested

Two more arrests have been made in the crackdown on illegal Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card activity. The arrests were the result of close working between the local neighborhood policing teams, immigration officers, environmental health officers and corporate investigators from the Construction Industry Training Board. Two men have been detained, cautioned and have had their fake CSCS and Security Industry Authority (SIA) cards revoked.

Commenting on the successful operation, CITB fraud investigator, Ian Sidney said: "These arrests highlight the benefits of partner agencies working together to tackle identity fraud and related criminality. While CITB's main objective is to uphold the integrity of its test and card schemes to ensure safety in the UK construction industry, it is clear that different types of crime are also being committed by the same groups of individuals. Joint operations like these send the message that CITB will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies in fighting all types of unlawful activity."

CITB has been working with the London Metropolitan Police for the last 18 months to ensure the arrest of offenders suspected of fraudulent card offences. One man, arrested was found guilty of candidate impersonation at 48 HS&E tests, and in March, another man, whose case has since been passed to staff at the UK Border Agency, was arrested for using a fraudulent HS&E pass to obtain CPCS (Construction Plant Competence Scheme) and CSCS cards.

Commenting on the recent arrests, Rob Squires, delivery manager for testing and card services, said: "These recent arrests demonstrate CITB is committed to taking a much more robust approach in dealing with individuals who are trying to cheat the system. People who are taking tests for other people or applying for cards with fake passes will be found out and dealt with."
More than 500,000 Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) tests are conducted every year and, since 2003, almost 300,000 CPCS cards have been issued in the UK.

Rugby firm fined for London skylight fall

A firm specialising in the installation of solar panels has been fined for safety failings after a worker sustained life-threatening injuries when he fell through a fragile skylight at a north London warehouse. Brian Dolan fractured his skull in two places, broke five vertebrae and three ribs, and suffered hearing impairment in the incident at Blundell Street in Islington on 1 March 2012. He was hospitalised for more than a fortnight and was unable to work for seven months.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that Mr Dolan was working for Rugby-based Grenergy Solar Ltd to help install 342 solar panels on the roofs of two warehouse buildings. His fall occurred on the second day of the work when he plunged almost five metres to the concrete floor below. A pallet of flour in the warehouse partly broke his fall, but not enough to prevent serious injury.

Precisely how he fell is unclear, but a subsequent investigation by the Health and Safety Executive identified that irrespective of what happened there were no measures in place to prevent or mitigate a fall, such as safety netting beneath the skylights. Magistrates were told that had the work been properly assessed, with appropriate safety measures taken, then the incident could have been avoided.

Grenergy Solar Ltd were fined a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay £9,041 in costs after pleading guilty to two separate breaches of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

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