Conder Structures fined £100,000

Conder Structures was fined a total of £100,000 at Leicester Crown Court today following the death of a 16-year-old ground worker in November 2000.

Christopher Kesterton was employed by a ground works specialist on the Magna Park site in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. During the erection of the steel-framed building, designed by Conder, he was struck by a falling 17m-tall steel column, weighing almost 2t. He was killed instantly.

The column fell principally because the steel erectors had been unable to fit stablising wedges between the base plates and concrete foundation, leaving the columns free-standing. The steel work design had been calculated using a wind speed of 25mph, but on the day of the accident the wind speed was 30mph.

Conder pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety At Work Act for failing to ensure the safety of a person not in its employment. Conder admitted the activities of its subcontractors were not adequately and competently supervised so as to ensure the safe erection of the columns. For this, the company was fined £60,000.

A further £40,000 fine was ordered after the company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the design for the building included adequate health and safety information, contrary to the CDM Regs.

Conder was also ordered to pay costs of £59,374.

This is Conder's second prosecution for a fatality caused by falling steel work.