Prosecution for Falling Crane

A construction worker was killed by a falling crane back in March 2009 because of “A combination of failures by site managers”

Liverpool Crown Court heard the crane had been used to lift the six-tonne steel column when it was nearly 18 metres away, taking it well outside its safe lifting capacity for that distance. The crane was also incorrectly maintained and critical safety devices were faulty.

Benjamin Lee of Goosnargh, Preston, pleaded guilty to safety breaches was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £18,478 in prosecution costs.

Siteweld Construction Ltd, of Berry Lane, Longridge, Preston, pleaded guilty to the same offence. It received a nominal fine of £50 with no costs as it has ceased trading.

Crane hire firm, Bryn Thomas Crane Hire Ltd, and the crane’s operator, Frederick Scott, were also prosecuted for health and safety failings. They were fined £7,000 at an earlier hearing at Liverpool Crown Court in April.

This occurrence in this day and age should be a thing of the past but too often Health and Safety is ignored and overlooked.

Please make sure your managers and supervisors are competent in making safety critical decisions correctly, our CITB Accredited SMSTS (Site Managers Safety Training Scheme) and SSSTS (Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme) will assist in decision making. See our future courses list.