Balfour Beatty fined £2.8m after worker loses life on scissor lift

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After the tragic incident where a worker lost his lift Balfour Beatty was fined £285,000 after a 62-year-old worker fell 10 metres to his death during construction of a new university facility.

On January 7, 2020, contractors Igor Malka and Edmund Vispulskis were working on the installation of cladding at the University of Birmingham’s new engineering hall when a tragic accident occurred. The two men, both from Lithuania, were working from a scissor lift that was toppled by a nearby crane, causing them to fall approximately 10 meters.

Sadly, Malka lost his life in the fall, while Vispulskis suffered severe injuries, including spinal damage and broken ribs. His recovery required seven weeks in a neck brace, as well as surgery to insert pins in his pelvis and thigh.

Balfour Beatty, the principal contractor for the construction of the National Buried Infrastructure Facility at the university, was responsible for the site where the incident occurred. At the time, a crane was being used to move hydraulic equipment that had just been delivered for installation at the facility.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the accident could have been prevented with better oversight and communication between contractors. The site had separate teams handling hydraulic equipment and internal cladding installation, but there was no designated lift supervisor present during the incident, leading to a lack of coordination between the teams.

Balfour Beatty had a responsibility to ensure effective communication and cooperation among contractors, but these safety measures were not adequately in place at the time of the accident.

The University of Birmingham was not prosecuted by HSE.

Balfour Beatty, of Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, pleaded guilty to safety breaches and the company was fined £285,000 and ordered to pay £21,768.88 in costs at Birmingham Crown Court on 16 September 2024.

HSE inspector Gareth Langston said: “This was a tragic incident that led to the death of a worker with another being seriously injured and still experiencing difficulties today as a result.

“Lifting operations must be properly controlled – they must be planned, with plans adhered to.”