Prosecutions
The structures were part of a 500 tonne concrete batching plant installation which had been manufactured for a project in the Sudan. The employee was killed instantly when one of the 1.5 tonne structures became dislodged and fell on his head during a lifting operation.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the company after carrying out an investigation into the 13 December 2008 incident at the company's site in Leicester.
Leicester Crown Court heard the victim and a colleague had been attempting to load the large parts of structural steelwork into a shipping container using an overhead crane. The parts would not fit into the container so they were being placed on the ground next to it. The pair had been directed to place one steel section on top of the other and were releasing the lifting chains from the load when the top section slid off the bottom one and trapped the victim between the two, causing fatal head injuries.
HSE told the court that neither the victim nor his colleague had received the proper training on how to plan and manage such a complex lifting operation, nor had they had any information on the size, weight or centre of gravity of the load which would have enabled them to sling the load correctly.
They had been working with an incorrect diagram that showed the two steelwork structures fitting on top of each other, which in fact was not possible. The structures were not strapped together meaning the load was unstable and liable to fall unexpectedly. The work was not properly planned or supervised and the lifting equipment provided to do the job was defective.
The company pleaded guilty on 2 September to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. They were sentenced today and were fined £180,000 and ordered to pay £47,500 costs.
One of the HSE's Principal Inspectors said:
"This fatal incident was utterly preventable and occurred as a direct result of the company’s approach to the safety of its workers.
"This company failed to provide the proper training for the work they were undertaking, and if that work had been adequately planned and supervised this tragedy would not have happened. Because of this company's failures, one man lost his life and another will have to live with the after effects of witnessing such a horrific incident."