Nine contractors were together fined more than 拢28,000 last week for breaching health and safety regulations on sites in London and the South-east.
Contractors Tru Construction, HG Construction, St George Scaffolding, and Charles R McInnes pleaded guilty when they appeared before magistrates at the City of London court last Wednesday.

Tru Construction was fined 拢12,500 on three counts of breaching safety regulations and ordered to pay 拢700 in court costs. St George Scaffolding was fined 拢1250 and ordered to pay 拢721. HG Construction was fined 拢2800 with 拢865 in costs and Charles R McInnes was fined 拢1350 and ordered to pay 拢534 costs.

The prosecutions were brought by the Health and Safety Executive as part of its blitz on sites in the capital. The four companies admitted offences under regulation 6 of the Construction Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1996, which covers falls from heights.

Of the five other companies that appeared before magistrates, contractor Wates was fined 拢4000, as reported last week, and subcontractor McKenna Demolition 拢1250 for safety breaches on a site in Beckenham, Kent. Both companies pleaded guilty.

Wates chief executive Struan Robertson said he was disappointed that the HSE had felt it necessary to take action against the firm and rejected claims that the firm had a serious safety problem.

He said: 鈥淒espite our efforts to achieve the highest standards of health and safety, on this occasion we failed. Site safety is of huge concern to me and our group safety manager, Tony Metcalfe, has done a wonderful job in spreading the message that safety comes first.鈥

He said safety procedures had been reviewed and that further precautions would be taken.

Three other firms to be fined after admitting safety breaches were Prendy Scaffolding, Mitie Property Services and Kier London. Mitie was fined 拢500 and ordered to pay 拢581 in costs. Kier London was fined 拢3500 and 拢337 in costs and subcontractor Prendy Scaffolding was fined 拢900 and 拢336 in costs.

A 10th company, EJ Roberts Roofing, of Beckenham, was also prosecuted but pleaded not guilty and the case has been adjourned.