The danger of free-standing walls

Poorly constructed or maintained free-standing walls can be a danger. Everyone in the building industry has a responsibility to look for the dangers posed by these walls as they can cause death or injury if they collapse.

The Building Regulations do not control the construction of most free-standing walls and so you are not required to submit designs or drawings for new free-standing or retaining walls. You generally only need consent if a wall supports the foundations of a nearby building.

However, as an employer, you have a statutory duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act and other associated legislation if the construction of the wall is part of any work activity. This means you have a duty to protect anyone who may be affected by your actions.

Potential signs of danger include

• Walls that are tall and thin, have loose bricks or different soil levels on each side.
• A leaning wall that may or may not also show obvious signs of damage or deterioration is a potential danger.

If you build a retaining wall within 3.7m of a street, the Highways Act 1980 requires you to seek approval from the local authority. If the road is adopted you need to approach the Highway Authority, which may not be the local authority.

A sobering reminder is a company director who was responsible for a wall that collapsed onto a highway and killed a three-year old girl, received a two-year jail sentence for manslaughter in 2012.

Further information can be found in this Structural-Safety Alert: Preventing the collapse of free-standing walls. Reports on matters of concern are always sought and if you can contribute please contact Structural-Safety.org.