News

13 January 2012

Steel beam kills employee

A specialist crane supplier has been fined £180,000 after a worker was killed when a large steel beam fell on him.

The employee died when the temporary suspension points on a 1.4 tonne suspended beam he was under failed and fell five metres onto him causing fatal injuries to his chest, and fractures to his legs and back.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted his employers J H Carruthers Ltd and one of its supervisors, after an investigation into how the lifting operation failed.

Maidenhead Magistrates' Court was told that a team of five people were installing two cranes in the hall of a new incinerator building. They were lifting two steel beams to a height of approximately 18 metres, which then had to be welded to the underside of the roof beams that were fixed to the rafters.

The HSE investigation found that the lifting operation could have been successful if the whole process had been planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner from the outset.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £180,000, with costs of £74,000. The supervisor pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. He was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay costs of £400.

HSE's Inspector Karen Morris said:

“This tragic incident shows the importance of carrying out a thorough assessment of hazards and properly managing all lifting operations. This was a complex and unusual lift which went drastically wrong due to a lack of competent planning and a failure to supervise and carry out the task safely. The risks involved in such lifting operations should not be underestimated.”

“Health and safety law places stringent requirements on employers in these circumstances, for very good reason. This incident was entirely preventable and it should act as a reminder to others that standards need to be maintained to ensure the safety of workers at all times.”