A construction company based in South Wales has been fined £100,000 for operating a hazardous timber-frame construction site.
An investigation was launched by the HSE after making an unannounced visit to inspect Hale’s site in the centre of Blaenavon.

Fifty-four timber-frame houses were under construction, which carry a serious fire risk when not planned or managed properly, due to the structures being made from wood. In the event of a fire, the speed and intensity of the fire can be extreme and severe, therefore putting workers and even other civilians and members of the public in danger.
It was found that the measures to prevent a fire starting and getting out of control had not been properly taken. All the houses were under construction at broadly the same stage with little fire protection, a lack of site management control, insufficient means to detect a fire and raise the alarm, dissatisfactory control of ignition sources and an overall lack of emergency planning. There was also a risk of workers being struck or by construction vehicles.

Improvement Notices were served in relation to fire and vehicle safety issues and these were complied with after two further inspection visits.
J G Hale Construction Limited, located in Milland Road, Neath, South Wales, who additionally manufacture timber frames for the construction industry, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 27 and 29 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, and was made to pay the fines of £40,000 and £60,000 respectively. They were ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £4633.76 and a statutory surcharge of £120.
HSE inspector Liam Osborne reported that: “Hale Construction had been given plenty of warnings about fire-safety and traffic risks in the recent past, including from HSE.
“Timber-frame houses are perfectly safe once they’re finished and protected, but when under construction they can be very dangerous. Stringent fire-safety standards need to be in place well before the build starts, and then maintained and monitored”.