NEWS
BBC STUDIOWORKS
IN COURT AFTER
CONTRACTOR ERIC
IHOEGHINLAN SUFFERED
MULTIPLE INJURIES
Three companies have been fined after
a contractor to BBC Studioworks Ltd
fell more than 10 metres at Elstree Film
Studios.
H
arrow Crown Court heard how Eric Ihoeghinlan, an
employee of Gabem Management Ltd, fell through a
lighting grid hatch while recovering electrical cables
for BBC Studioworks Ltd during a de-rigging operation.
He sustained multiple injuries including a blood clot to
the brain, fractured pelvis and ankles, and a ruptured
spleen. Due to the brain damage caused, it’s unknown if
Ihoeghinlan will ever work again.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
into the incident which occurred on 18 November 2014,
found the hatches of the lighting grids and the ends of one,
did not have any edge protection.
BBC Studioworks Ltd pleaded to breaching Sections 2
and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, was
fined £200,000 and was ordered to pay costs of more than
£6,000.
Elstree Film Studios Ltd was found guilty of breaching
Regulation 3 and Regulation 11 of the Work at Height
Regulations 2005. The company was fined £16,000 and
ordered to pay costs of more than £39,000.
Elstree Light and Power Ltd was found guilty of
breaching Sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work
etc. Act 1974, was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of
more than £39,000.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Principal Inspector
Graham Tompkins said:
“The employee’s injuries were life-changing and he
could have easily been killed. This serious incident and the
devastation caused could have been avoided if basic safe
guards had been put in place.
“Falls from height remain one of the most common
causes of work related fatalities in this country and the
risks associated with working at height are well known”.
6
HSE INTERNATIONAL
DHF CALLS ON GOVERNMENT
TO ENFORCE FIRE DOORSETS
FOLLOWING GRENFELL TRAGEDY
Following the Grenfell Tower
tragedy, dhf (Door & Hardware
Federation) is stressing the vital
importance of compartmentation and
the terrible risks of getting it wrong.
I
n a bid to prevent the spread of fires in multi-
occupancy buildings such as tower blocks and office
buildings, the Tamworth-based trade association is
calling for a change in Building Regulations, and for the UK
government to enforce the use of complete doorsets in fire
compartmentation.
Fire compartmentation is the term used for the sub-
division of a building into manageable areas of risk,
to prevent the spread of fire and smoke, and provide
adequate means of escape. This involves the use of fire
doors on individual flat entrance doors as well as those
used in escape corridors and stairways. Fire doors are one
of the most important and effective elements of a building’s
passive fire protection, with more than three million being
installed in the UK each year. Correctly manufactured,
installed and maintained, they can save lives by protecting
the route of evacuation and provide emergency services
with safe access to the building.
However, if fire doors are not compliant, the
compartmentation of the building in the event of a fire is
compromised and can result in serious consequences. That