Manchester construction worker given a suspended jail sentence for breaking safety rules

That is the unimaginable second a employee balanced practically 90 toes within the air on scaffolding in a 'breathtakingly silly' act.

David Mulholland, 25, was working to hammer metal beams into place at the King Avenue townhouse, in Manchester metropolis centre, which has now opened as a lodge.

Manchester Magistrates' Court docket heard that on a wet January 21, final yr, Mulholland was photographed by horrified workplace staff who took the image from their window, then contacted the Well being and Security Govt (HSE).

That is the surprising second building employee David Mulholland stood on high of some scaffolding within the rain whereas engaged on a Manchester metropolis constructing web site 

David Mulholland, pictured was prosecuted by the Well being and Security Govt 

The 25-year-old builder, pictured, mentioned he wished to finish the work faster as a result of the job was not on time as an alternative of asking the on-site scaffolder for help 

The court docket was advised that Mulholland 'did not realise how silly he was being till he noticed the image'.

He mentioned that the constructing venture was three weeks behind, and that as an alternative of asking the on-site scaffolder to make the world protected he went forward to do the job faster.

Investigators from the HSE rushed to the positioning and questioned Mulholland, who admitted that he had climbed as much as full the job.

Mulholland was sentenced to 6 months in jail, suspended for 18 months, and fined £1,400.

He should additionally pay prices of £2,939.18 and a sufferer surcharge of £85.

In what the HSE have described as an 'uncommon' case, two roofers, Aaron Hepworth and Jake Clarke, had been additionally caught flouting well being and security on the identical constructing three months later, and had been fined final week after admitting one cost every of contravening well being and security laws.

Addressing Mulholland at Monday's listening to, district decide Nicholas Sanders mentioned: 'What you had been doing was breathtakingly silly.

Mulholland, pictured, was fined £four,500 and given a suspended jail sentence 

'It defies description that you need to be doing what you had been doing with out any protecting measures. You selected to show a blind eye to the pretty apparent dangers that existed.

'The one one that was actually put in danger on this case was you.'

Mulholland, of Walton le Dale, Preston, pleaded responsible to one cost of contravening a well being and security regulation.

After the case, HSE inspector Matt Greenly mentioned: 'By no means earlier than in my profession as an HSE Inspector have I seen such a staggering disregard for private security as is demonstrated by the of Mr Mulholland balancing on scaffold tubes within the rain.

'It's a matter of pure luck that no-one was injured or killed by working at peak within the method seen on this picture offered by a member of the public.

'I wish to thank the one that reported their concern to us as they have been instrumental in saving the lives of Mr Mulholland and arguably anybody under him at the moment.'

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