A CONSTRUCTION firm has been fined £4,000 after a barrier was blown on top of a pram, injuring a baby.
The baby boy was in his pram while his mother used a cash machine outside a supermarket in Drip Road, Stirling, when the incident occurred on October 24, 2011.
Stirling Sheriff Court was told Kier Construction Ltd was refurbishing the supermarket and had assembled barriers attached with banners to separate the public from the work area.
The court heard the baby's mother parked the pram near to the barriers with her 13-year-old daughter.
As she walked to the cash machine she heard her daughter scream. She turned and saw a barrier had fallen on top of the pram. The baby was taken to hospital with bruising to his head and was discharged that day.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that contrary to manufacturer's instructions, the barriers had not been filled with water to ensure stability and the barriers next to the cash machines had not been locked together.
Inspectors also discovered that the previous month, high winds had caused the barriers to fall and the site manager had ordered removal of the banners. Blocks were placed at the base of the barriers but were not filled with water.
Kier Construction Ltd, of Sandy, Bedfordshire,pled guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health & Safety at Work Act.
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