Demolition firm fined £5,000 for endangering children

A demolition contractor has been fined £5,000 for endangering the lives of school children in Godalming last December.

R Collard was prosecuted by the Health & Safety Executive after arrangements to conduct demolition work next to a playground at Wharf Nursery School in Godalming outside of school hours failed.

The Hampshire-based company had been contracted to demolish several single story buildings next to the school on 11 December, but this was not to begin until after 3.30pm when there would be no children on the site.

However, at 2.20pm a R Collard employee was removing the roof from a building adjacent to the school playground when he knocked part of the external wall into the nursery playground.

Amanda Huff, HM Inspector of Health & Safety, said: "Fortunately there was no one in the playground at the time of the collapse as the children and staff were indoors. There was a risk that the falling rubble could have injured a child or staff member and it was more by luck rather than judgment that someone wasn't injured."

R Collard was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs.