Add Prop Ltd Fined £30,000 After Scaffolding Collapse Injures Pedestrians on Putney High Street
Published on 07/18/2026 at 10:47 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
A London construction firm and its director have been ordered to pay more than £30,000 in fines and costs after a scaffolding tower collapsed on a busy high street, striking two members of the public. The case serves as a stark reminder to UK employers of their legal duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Tower Assembly Failures Led to Collapse
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident, which occurred on Putney High Street on 19 July 2023, found that a mobile tower scaffold had been incorrectly assembled. Plastic sheeting attached to the structure acted as a sail in the wind, causing the tower to overturn and hit pedestrians.
Add Prop Limited was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 in costs after being found in breach of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company failed to implement adequate safety measures and ensure the scaffold was used correctly. Company director Atif Riaz was personally fined £1,730 and ordered to pay an additional £1,730 in costs.
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Transport Firm Fined £425,000 After Fatal Fall
In a separate ruling, Middlesbrough-based Bertschi UK Limited was fined £425,000 and ordered to pay £119,258 in costs following a fatal incident at its South Bank site. Warehouse supervisor Peter Hutchinson died 19 days after falling 1.5 metres from a mobile yard ramp on 4 November 2021.
HSE inspectors identified significant health and safety failings, noting that the company failed to assess the risks associated with the mobile loading ramps. Despite recommendations from the manufacturer, the ramp involved in the accident was used without handrails. The judge stated that the fatal incident was preventable had the loading task been properly planned.
Roof Falls and Falling Objects Lead to Further Penalties
Several other UK companies have faced penalties in recent days for safety failures involving falls and falling materials.
JLM Solutions was fined £8,000 plus £5,850 in costs and a £2,000 surcharge following an incident in Altrincham on 22 November 2023. Joiner Adam Kirkpatrick was paralysed from the waist down after falling through an unsecured plywood cover on a skylight. The HSE found inadequate planning and supervision for the roof work.
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Varcity Living Limited received a £50,000 fine after apprentice joiner Chloe Bidwell was killed on 20 December 2023. The incident occurred during a property renovation when unsecured wooden boards fell on her. Investigators noted a lack of safety protocols, supervision, and lone working policies.
Clover Access System Ltd and STM360 Ltd were fined nearly £80,000 after a scaffolder sustained serious head, arm, and leg injuries in a 20-foot fall through a fragile skylight at Acre Mills in Keighley.
Structural Concerns at Major Office Conversion
Authorities are also investigating a recent structural scare in New York City. On 7 July 2026, the conversion of the former Pfizer headquarters at 235 East 42nd Street was halted after two steel columns buckled.
The New York Department of Buildings and engineers reported that reinforcing steel plates required by the original design were not installed on floors 19 through 21. The incident, which triggered evacuations, follows several prior violations at the site between July and December 2025 involving falling debris and unreported injuries. A criminal inquiry has been opened.
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