Maintain our Heritage

List of masonry etc falls from buildings into the public realm, 1999-2006

This (incomplete) list gives information and related websites on incidents since 1999 in which masonry or guttering has fallen into the public realm. In the UK, these incidents caused at least 5 fatalities, 2 serious injuries, and 11 slight injuries.

The list excludes incidents in which the building concerned was undergoing works or being demolished.

Maintain welcomes further information on these incidents, or any others, via our web site at: http://www.maintainourheritage.co.uk/falling_masonry_form.htm

A select list of incidents from other countries, and articles on related subjects is at the end of the UK list.

Date	Place	Type of Building	Injuries?	Website
1999	Edinburgh, East Norton Place	Tenement	None	Click here
1999	Congleton, Cheshire	Town Hall	None	Click here
2000	Crewe	Listed Grade II Victorian market hall	None	Click here
2000	Edinburgh	4-storey bar	1 dead, 1 seriously injured; 4 slightly	Click here
2000	West Bromwich	3-storey terraced	1 dead (child); 2 injured	Click here and / or here
2000	Carlisle	Cathedral; arm of St Peter fell off	None	Click here
2000	Abergavenny	Town Hall	None	Click here
2000	Perth, Scotland	Ring O’Bells pub	Yes – but number not known	Click here
2000 Sept	Bath, Darlington St	Georgian terrace	None	Click here (see p. 26)
2001	Hastings, Marlborough Hotel	Hotel	None	Click here
2001	Swindon	Methodist chapel, Rodbourne Rd	None	Click here
2001	Bargoed, Wales	Not known	None	Click here
2001	Westcliff on Sea, Essex	Hotel	None	Click here
2002	York	Church (All Saints)	1 dead	Click here and / or here
2002	Chippenham	Railway viaduct Grade 2	None	Click here
2002	Rugby	new 2.4m wall , Chapel St	1 dead	Click here
2002	Glasgow, Parnie St	Not known	1 dead	Click here
2002 Oct 2nd	Edinburgh, Fountainbridge	Bingo hall	1 slight	Click here
2002	Edinburgh, Chambers Street	Biblos Bar	None	Click here
2002	Edinburgh , Gilmore St		None	Click here
2002	Edinburgh,	National Portrait Gallery	None	Click here
2002	Edinburgh, City Chambers	Town Hall	None	Click here
2003	Newcastle, Gray St	Pub	None	Click here
2003	Edinburgh, Frederick St	Not known	None	Click here
2003	Rugby	Boots opticians building. Boots later fined £40k with £27k costs	1 seriously injured	Click here and / or here
2003	North Shields	Chimney	None	Click here
2003	Glasgow, West George St	Listed Grade 2 former Pearl Assurance Building	None	Click here
2003	Brighton	Listed Grade 2 London Road railway viaduct	None	Click here
2003	Edinburgh, Marchmont Crescent	Tenement	None	Click here
2003 (?03/07/03)	Carnforth, Westmoreland	Not known; chimney fell into street	1 slightly	Click here
2003 (24/07/03)	Carnforth, Westmoreland	Halifax Building Society gutter fell onto passer-by	1 slightly	Click here
2004	Swansea, Wales	Palace Theatre	None	Click here
2004	Rugby, Market Place	Not known	None	Click here
2004	Helston, Cornwall, Coinagehall St	Not known	None	Click here
2005	Kirkwall, Orkney	Town Hall	None	Click here
2005	Edinburgh, Brunstfield Place	Not known	None	Click here
2005	Edinburgh, Morningside	Churchill Theatre	None	Click here
2005	Douglas, Isle of Man	St George’s Court, Hillside St	None	Click here
2005	Devizes	Town Hall	None	Click here
2005 (23/9/05)	Dundee, Scotland	Tenement	None	Click here
2006	Hove, Church Road	Not known; 3-storey	None	Click here
2006	Edinburgh, Windsor S	2-story hotel	None	Click here
2006	Edinburgh,	Not known	None	Click here
2006	Whitehaven, Cumberland	Not known	1 slightly	Click here
2006 02/02	Perth, Scotland	Restaurant	None	Click here
2006 (15/07/06)	North Berwick, Scotland	Not known	1 slightly	Click here

International

Year	Country	Type of building	Injuries?	Website
1982	New York	Not known	1 dead	Click here
1990	New York, Broadway	11-storey building	None	Click here
1999 30/12	Cork, Ireland	Not known	1 dead, 8 injured; severity unknown	Click here
2005	Washington DC	Supreme Court Building	None	Click here
2006 (08/08/06)	Ahmedabad, India	Commercial building	1 dead	Click here

Selected Articles & sites

Year	Country	Subject	Summary	Website
2003	USA	Façade inspection laws	“Masonry falls off a building facade somewhere in the United States about every three weeks. Over the past few years in the United States, at least 49 such masonry failures have killed 30 persons and injured 81.”	Click here
2003	UK	Façade safety	SCOSS (Standing Committee on Structural Safety) calls for action on regular inspection of facades	Click here
2004	Scotland	Façade Safety	Edinburgh City Council reports on measures taken since fatality in 2000	Click here
2005	Scotland	Scottish Borders Council, Scotland	Survey finds that 70% of buildings over 100 years old require urgent work	Click here and / or here
2005	Scotland	Falling Masonry – causes	Scottish RICS	Click here
2006	Scotland	Falling masonry	The Scottish Building Standards Agency has extended the SCOTCROSS scheme, which is recording falls of materials from buildings and near misses, for a second year. 420 reports received in the first 10 months. Most involve buildings around 100 or more years old and relate to problems with masonry and roofing. Two passers by have been reportedly struck by falling objects - fortunately their injuries were slight, and there have been several near misses. Discussions are under way to consider reporting from some Local Authorities in England	Click here and / or here
2006	UK	BRE	“Building Façade Maintenance – legal liability & damage limitation”	Click here
2006	USA, New York	Façade inspection law	Advice on Local Law 11/98 requiring cyclical inspection of all facades 6 stories or more	Click here