Two Sheffield brothers were jailed for safety failures after a building collapse left three injured, up to 20 people temporarily homeless, and nearby properties evacuated.
Naveed and Rizwan Hussain were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at Sheffield Crown Court following the collapse of a three-storey terrace in Brook Hill on 23rd March 2013.
Two residents and a builder suffered minor injuries and the immediate area had to be evacuated when the front of the property and the flats on the two upper floors caved in.
HSE told the court it was ‘remarkable’ that no one had been killed given the extent of the collapse. The property, formerly Butler’s Balti House, was so dangerous after the incident it had to be demolished by Sheffield Council.
The court heard the two ‘incompetent’ brothers had destabilised the structure of the building while refurbishing the basement. HSE’s investigation found the central wall between 192 and 194 Brook Hill had collapsed due to the Hussains’ poorly-planned and badly-managed refurbishment project. Crucially, they had no controls in place to support the building while it was being modified.
Rizwan Hussain, 39, of Rutland Road, Sheffield, was given a 12 month custodial sentence and a fine of £42,000 with £40,000 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, a breach of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007 and a breach of two Prohibition Notices issued to him on 15th May 2013.
Naveed Hussain, 33, Pitsmoor Road, Sheffield, was given a 12 month custodial sentence and fined £40,000 with £60,000 to pay in costs after admitting a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and a separate breach of the same Construction Regulations.
His Honour Judge Murphy, sentencing, remarked: “It was little short of a miracle that more people were not seriously injured or killed. This was a very serious incident caused by your arrogance and greed.
“A statement needs to be made to people undertaking such projects in relation to the importance of health and safety. The public would be appalled at anything less than a custodial sentence.”
