THE Health and Safety Executive is investigating whether a father and son were wearing hard hats when they were injured by falling scaffolding on a building site. The father, who is thought to be in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries in the accident.

THE Health and Safety Executive is investigating whether a father and son were wearing hard hats when they were injured by falling scaffolding on a building site.

The father, who is thought to be in his 50s, suffered serious head injuries in the accident.

He was taken by ambulance to the Royal London Hospital in White Chapel, which specialises in head injuries.

His son, who suffered a bruised eye, was left visibly shaken and upset by the accident.

The two men, who work for GRS Construction company, were dismantling scaffolding from the Kestrel House School for autistic children -which was formerly the Mount View Theatre School, in Crouch Hill, when the accident happened last Thursday at 11.50am.

The Health and Safety Executive, which is investigating the accident has admitted that officials are looking into whether the builders were wearing hard hats.

It has also served a safety improvement notice on the site.

A spokesman for HSE said: "The HSE is investigating the Crouch Hill incident, and has served an improvement notice for competent site management.

"HSE is looking into the issue of whether people on site were wearing hard hats as part of the investigation."

Passer-by Jo Ibegbunna, 37, of Crouch Hill, was shocked to see the aftermath of the accident.

He said: "I saw one builder looking dazed and another lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

"I think the full impact of the scaffolding hit his head.

"I have never seen so much blood before.

"Another builder said the scaffolding suddenly collapsed. It's not nice to think you go to work and this happens."

Ron Spitz, contracts manager for GRS Construction, said: "We are unable to comment because we are waiting for health and safety.

"And we're more concerned with the gentleman who has been injured."

Sarah Hazlewood, a spokeswoman for Eagle House Group which owns Kestrel House School said: "The site has been handed back to us.

"The Health and Safety Executive has said that we can resume working and we have a notice of improvement which the contractor will be implementing this week."

charlotte.newton@hamhigh.co.uk