Court hands lifeline to firm

A Shropshire construction company which was fined £20,000 after four workmen plunged down a lift shaft when scaffolding collapsed beneath their feet, has been handed a lifeline to carry on trading by the High Court.

Bosses at WC Corfield & Son (Telford) Ltd, based in Queen Street, Wellington, were fined by Telford magistrates last year after Barry Davies, Tim Grice, Dave Ritchie and John Watton suffered multiple injuries when they fell 22ft while working for the company at Leegomery Community Centre four years ago.

At London's High Court on Wednesday, the winding up petition brought against the company was dismissed by a registrar.

No details of the debts leading to the winding up moves were given at the court hearing.

If the company had been made the subject of a winding up order, its business affairs would have been handed over to an official receiver.

The receiver's job would then to have been to do his best to ensure that debts were paid off by selling any assets available and then bringing the business to a close. But the business will now continue following the court's dismissal.

Nobody was available to comment from the company today.

The company was fined after bosses admitted failing to develop the health and safety plan as the construction work progressed and to a breach of section two of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The case was brought by the Health and Safety Executive.

After issuing a fine to the company, magistrates ordered no costs to be paid. They said this was due to the "serious and precarious financial position of the company".

Mr Gary Smith, representing WC Corfield & Son, said that the incident had led to severe financial losses.

The case resulted in a general warning being put out by the Health and Safety Executive about the need for employers to ensure the safety of employees working at height.

Telford & Wrekin Council was also prosecuted over the incident and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £11,252 costs over its failure to ensure that Corfields had been provided with an adequate health and safety plan before the work started.

By Kirsty Marston