Cambridge construction company Frazer Stannard Ltd has been fined £100,000 after a 10m long piece of temporary hoarding around a building site fell on to an elderly woman, pinning her to the ground.

Mrs Margaret Gardiner, 68, was knocked into the street and trapped by the hoarding on 7 July 2015. She had been walking along the pavement on Bedford high street. She sustained injuries to her hip as well as extensive bruising to the rest of her body, including her head.

Luton Magistrates Court heard this month (October) when Frazer Stannard appeared before it that the hoarding had been inadequately constructed. The workers had been given no details, design or instruction on how to build the hoarding and it was left entirely to the team on-site how to secure it. There was no supervision and the hoarding had not been adequately supported, tied back or inspected. Eventually it gave way and fell.

Frazer Stannard Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences: breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and to breaching Regulation 19(2) Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015. It was fined £50,000 for each offence. The company was also ordered ordered to pay costs of £2,425.16.

HSE inspector Stephen Manley said: “This incident could have easily been a fatality and was entirely preventable. Had Frazer Stannard Ltd recognised the work they were doing as temporary works and managed matters properly they would have realised the hoarding was not fit for purpose. Construction companies must learn from this case and plan their work properly, ensuring workers are given proper instructions as well as supervision.”

Guidance on how to protect the public from construction work can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/publicprotection.htm