Stoneforce Ltd, of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, has been fined £10,000 with £5,195.70 costs after admitting health & safety breaches, including dirty toilets with no washing facilities, while refurbishing a shop in Newcastle.

Stoneforce pleaded guilty to two breaches of Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and three breaches within the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007.

Stoneforce Ltd, of Hertfordshire, was the main contractor carrying out work on the refurbishment of a retail store in Northumberland Street, Newcastle, which started in September 2011 and lasted for several months.

Newcastle Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (12 February) that a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspector visited the site on 14 September 2011 and advised Stoneforce Ltd of its legal obligations when managing the site.

A number of complaints about the site were received by HSE in late February 2012, including allegations of risks relating to falls from height and concerns about poor housekeeping and a lack of welfare facilities. These prompted a further inspection on 21 February 2012.

Several safety failings were found, one so serious that a Prohibition Notice was served relating to a risk of falls from height from the edge of the roof.

A number of Improvement Notices were also served the following day relating to a lack of suitable and sufficient welfare facilities and for failing to keep the site in good order.

HSE brought today’s prosecution as a result of the numerous failings identified at the site and the fact that some had previously been brought to the company’s attention.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Andrea Robbins said: “Numerous failings were found on this site, including serious risks from falls from height that could have resulted in major injuries or even death.

“Falls from height are still the largest cause of deaths in the construction industry, accounting for half of all fatalities and more than a quarter of all major injuries.

“In addition, several thousand construction workers are injured each year as a result of a slip or trip and it should have been clear that workers were at risk of serious personal injury as a result of the lack of good order on this site.

“There was also a lack of suitable and sufficient welfare facilities on the site, with the only sanitary provision being four portable toilets, which were not well lit and were not kept in a clean and orderly condition. There were also no suitable washing facilities in the toilet area. Such facilities are a basic human right.”

The latest HSE statistics show that almost 3,000 people suffered a major injury while working in the construction industry in Great Britain and 50 lost their lives. Information on construction safety can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/construction.