Builder handed suspended jail term after wall collapse injures workers

A 70-year-old builder has been given a suspended jail sentence after three workers were injured and a house was destroyed following the collapse of a building.

Jack Savva had been working on a loft conversion at a house in Windsor on 6 August 2020 when he told workers to remove key supporting timbers and steels, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The watchdog said this resulted in the collapse of a brick gable wall, which struck the workers and “destroyed” the first floor of the home.

An HSE investigation found Savva “failed to ensure the structure did not collapse while it was in a state of temporary weakness”.

The watchdog said the builder informed the home owner two days before the incident that a chimney breast would need to be propped.

But he did not take steps to address the unsupported chimney breast before dismantling the roof, according to the HSE, causing the brick gable to collapse into the work area.

He also failed to take all practicable steps to prevent danger to any person while the building was in a temporary state of weakness, the watchdog said.

HSE inspector Dominic Goacher said: “Although three men were seriously injured, it was lucky nobody was killed. In addition, the householder faced a bill of £200,000 to rebuild their house due to Savva’s public liability insurance being invalid.

“This was a completely avoidable incident. Jack Savva should have taken precautions to protect people from the risk of collapse.”

One of the injured workers said they still suffered from nightmares of the day of the accident and had not slept more than two hours a night for four years, according to the HSE.

The watchdog said that Savva, of Friary Road, Wraysbury, Surrey, was given a 13-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Reading Crown Court this month.

The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 19(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 .

Savva was also ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to the home owner.