Four Larnaca-based companies fined for work-safety violations

Four legal entities and four individual employers have been fined by the in Larnaca for violations of work safety regulations that resulted in injury to workers, it was announced on Thursday.

George Lagos Contractors, which is active in the construction sector, was fined €7,000 for failure to design, construct, erect and maintain scaffolding so that they were properly connected to a building under construction and could not collapse or become displaced accidentally.

Part of the scaffolding did collapse falling into the yard and roof of an adjacent house, as well as on top of private vehicles. The company also failed to take measures for the inspection of scaffolding by a competent person and the preparation of an inspection report.

DE Building Work Ltd, also in construction, was fined €800 for failing to insure itself against liability for an accident or occupational hazard for its employees in violation of the Compulsory Insurance of Employers’ Liability Laws.

A third construction company Dextek Contractors was fined €10,000 failure to erect and maintain a suitable scaffolding inside an elevator shaft, with the result that the metal floor of the scaffolding on the fourth floor of the building under construction fell, causing an employee to fall from a height of 13 metres. The company also failed to have its scaffolding inspected at the start of work or at regular intervals as provided by law.

A fourth company, active in the bakery sector, Savvas Ma Pirillos, was fined €4,000 for failure to apply a safe working method during the production process of sweets in a machine, as a result of which an employee had the tip of her forefinger amputated when it became stuck inside the cutting machine. The company also failed to provide safety training to staff in a language they could understand as regards cleaning of the machines in question.

In addition to the companies fined, four employers were fined between €1,500 and €3,000 for failure to comply with work safety laws.