Stonemason fined for slab storage failure
Posted: Monday, January 27th, 2025
Three slabs of quartz stone fell from a stillage onto Steven Constable and Struan Dunsmore while two labourers were working at Bespoke Stone Ltd’s workshop on Dales Road in Ipswich, where marble, granite, and quartz kitchen worktops are cut and finished, The Construction Index reported. The pair had been preparing to lift one of the slabs onto a saw bed when all three fell onto them. The incident took place on June 17, 2022, and was captured on camera. After sustaining multiple bone fractures and soft tissue damage, Steven Constable required several operations and has been unable to work for more than two years. The 54-year-old sustained fractures to his right femur, hip, left tibia and foot, spending a total of 12 weeks in hospital. Struan Dunsmore, 31, escaped more lightly but sustained bruising to his body and required time off from work following the incident. A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Bespoke Stone Ltd’s slabs handling and storage were unsafe because the material was not secure. The restraint system provided did not fit around larger sizes of material. The company also failed to accurately report Mr Constable's injuries and Mr Dunsmore's time taken off work by Mr Dunsmore under RIDDOR regulations. Bespoke Stone Ltd, of Dales Road, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £6,600 and ordered to pay £4,875.40 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 17 January 2025.
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