{"id":517664,"date":"2025-04-01T11:37:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T10:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=517664"},"modified":"2025-04-01T11:37:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T10:37:50","slug":"firm-and-director-fined-18000-after-worker-buried-during-excavation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/health-and-safety\/firm-and-director-fined-18000-after-worker-buried-during-excavation-01-04-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Firm and director fined \u00a318,000 after worker buried during excavation"},"content":{"rendered":"

A company and its director have been fined \u00a318,000 after a man was injured when a wall collapse led to him bing buried during excavation work in West Sussex.<\/p>\n

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The collapsed excavation<\/p><\/div>\n

JHE Construction and its director Jordan Hay-Ellis pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws following the incident on 23 February 2023, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.<\/p>\n

The company had been contracted to complete a barn conversion, which included the installation of a new septic tank.<\/p>\n

During the installation of the tank, workers had to dig a three metre deep excavation but no precautions were taken to prevent its collapse, the HSE said last week in a statement.<\/p>\n

Edward Keeley, 30, and two colleagues were in the hole preparing to install a concrete base for the septic tank at Lone Oak Farm when the walls collapsed on them, the health and safety watchdog added.<\/p>\n

Keeley was struck by falling soil which resulted in multiple bone fractures and required him to be dug out, the HSE said.<\/p>\n

An HSE investigation found that no precautions had been taken to prevent the collapse of the excavation, \u201cyet the men were expected to work in it\u201d.<\/p>\n

HSE inspector Nathan Kent said: \u201cThe risk associated with excavation collapse is well understood within the construction industry and this incident was easily foreseeable.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll excavation work should be supported or battered back. Failure to do so in this case resulted in a young man sustaining very serious injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cHSE will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all they can to keep people safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

HSE guidance advises that all work of this nature should be correctly planned, including whether any temporary support structures should be used.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The septic tank<\/p><\/div>\n

This may also include battering the excavation sides to make it safer.<\/p>\n

Both JHE Construction Ltd and Hay-Ellis, 33, of Icarus Avenue, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, the HSE said.<\/p>\n

The firm was fined \u00a316,000 and ordered to pay \u00a32,612 in costs at Brighton Magistrates Court on 24 March.<\/p>\n

Hay-Ellis was fined \u00a32,000 and ordered to pay \u00a31,000 costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A company and its director have been fined \u00a318,000 after a man was injured when a wall collapse led to him bing buried during excavation work in West Sussex. JHE Construction and its director Jordan Hay-Ellis pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws following the incident on 23 February 2023, the Health and Safety …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":155153,"featured_media":517681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[581,578],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n