A STAIR TOO FAR - SHOULD PAUL O'BRIEN BE STOOD DOWN? Safety Sacrificed In Latest Scandal

After a serious accident in England it appears that there could be criminal proceedings against the Directors and Management of Aventas for blatant disregard of Health and Safety standards in their construction of stairwells. In their penny pinching they failed to follow the design (which had been used prior to the take-over) for the steel in the construction of the stairwells and adjoining landings. It has emerged that it has been common procedure over recent years since the take-over to take a short cut and put in less steel into stairwells than was clearly required. When slabs collapsed in the recent accident and an investigation was held it was discovered by the authorities that the amount of steel did not meet or even come close to meeting design standards and was consequently extremely dangerous as was proven in this incident.

A mistake is excusable in any business, but who is to be held responsible for this latest debacle considering it comes in the shadow of the sacking of a very experienced and competent Health and Safety manager. This has been done intentionally to save money (it would take a lot of steel to pay Paul O’Brien £20,000 per week) so it seems priorities are all wrong. We know there will be no acceptance of blame by Paul O’Brien; no apology; no attempt by him to improve processes to avoid a repeat. And this will be allowed, as politicians and bondholders alike seem powerless to reign in the destruction in value and disregard for safety of Paul and his henchmen.

While the investigation continues the CEO should definitely stand aside if the factory is allowed to continue production at all. There are big Health and Safety issues and there could be criminal proceedings against the Directors and Management.