Signage firms 'putting public safety at risk'
Hollywood Monster managing director, Tim Andrews has slammed some signage firms saying they are putting public safety at risk by 'doing things cheaply and cutting corners'
Wednesday, 20 Feb 2013 17:29 GMT
Andrews says that secure fixing of signage is of paramount importance
“They are doing things on the cheap – price is obviously a big driver in people doing that but in terms of health and safety it just shows how important it is really,” says Andrews.
He continues: “You forget how dangerous these signs are if they are not fixed right. Most of our signs are structurally engineered, but with some companies they are clearly not and they start listing over.”
Last month a man died when a sign that fell from the front of a William Hill branch in Camden struck him. An investigation is currently underway, and there has been no indication of any wrongdoing over the incident.
However, Andrew's believes it should serve as a reminder to the industry that safety is paramount saying although incidents like this were rare “one death, is one too many.”
He adds: “You cannot and should not cut corners. It sounds quite simple really and I can see why people have done it in the past – to reduce costs – but public safety is paramount.”
Andrews says it may be time for more intelligent health and safety regulations saying there are 'grey areas' in legislation.
He says: “There's a lot of things we have to do in our workplace that is crazy but maybe more effort needs put into areas like this.”