Workplace safety breaches lead to €10,000 fine

The Limassol District Court imposed a total fine of €10,000 on a company for violating workplace safety and health legislation, which put its employees and others at risk. Two individuals were also fined €5,000 and €3,500 each.

As reported by GTP, the Department of Labour Inspection of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance initiated the criminal prosecution against the company K. ONISIFOROU ENTERPRISES LTD for breaching the legislation concerning workplace safety and health.

As a result of the prosecution, the Limassol District Court convicted the company K. ONISIFOROU ENTERPRISES LTD, which is involved in various activities, including construction works. It fined them a total of €10,000 for violating the Regulations on Health and Safety at Work (Minimum Requirements for Temporary or Mobile Construction Sites). The violations endangered both its employees and other individuals at the workplace.

Specifically, the company was found guilty of not installing fixed guardrails on the staircase with a sufficient height of at least 1.10 meters from the floor. The guardrails should have included a handrail and a horizontal element, ensuring that the distance between the handrail or other horizontal parts does not exceed 0.45 meters. Alternatively, they should have used equivalent measures to prevent people from falling from a height.

Furthermore, the company was also convicted for not installing fixed guardrails around the well (shaft) of the elevator and at the edges of the floors, with a sufficient height of at least 1.10 meters from the floor. These guardrails should have included a barrier or other obstacle at an altitude of at least 0.15 meters above the floor, a handrail, and a horizontal element, ensuring that the distance between the barrier or other obstacle and the handrail or other horizontal element does not exceed 0.45 meters. Again, they should have used equivalent measures to prevent people from falling from a height.

The court also found the company guilty of neglecting to use appropriate support systems with adequate dimensions and fixed guardrails on these support systems, with a sufficient height of at least 1.10 meters from the floor. The guardrails should have included a barrier or other obstacle at an altitude of at least 0.15 meters above the floor, a handrail, and a horizontal element, ensuring that the distance between the barrier or other obstacle and the handrail or other horizontal element does not exceed 0.45 meters. They should have implemented equivalent measures to prevent people from falling from a height.

According to the announcement, the court also convicted the company for failing to install a high-sensitivity 30mA Residual Current Device (RCD) in the electrical circuit supplying power to portable electrical appliances and work equipment.

Additionally, the company was found guilty of neglecting to select appropriate workstations, such as the points of collection/preparation of "clay" on the floors, taking into account the possibility of safe access to these areas. They also neglected to inspect and maintain the angular grinder (work equipment) so that its cable could be connected to a power receiver.

[This article was translated from its Greek original]