A Leicester manufacturer of quarrying plant and
equipment has been fined after a worker was crushed between two nine-metre
steel structures which were being lifted with an overhead travelling crane.
The structures were part of a 500 tonne concrete
batching plant installation which had been manufactured for a project in the
Sudan. Michael Tilley, 55, from Barrow-upon-Soar, 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
Parker Plant Ltd after carrying out an investigation into the 13 December 2008
incident at the company's Canon Street site in Leicester.
Leicester Crown Court heard Mr Tilley 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 Mr Tilley between the two, causing fatal head injuries.
HSE told the court that neither Mr Tilley 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.
Parker Plant Ltd of Viaduct Works, Canon Street,
Leicester, 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.
Sue Thompson, one of the HSE's Principal Inspectors
said:
"This fatal incident was utterly preventable
and occurred as a direct result of Parker Plant Ltd'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."
After the hearing, Mr Tilley's mother Doreen Upton
said:
"Michael is a greatly-missed only son, father
and grandfather. He is in our thoughts every day. The penalty imposed on the
firm will never bring him back but we are pleased that the seriousness of what
happened that day has been recognised by the court."
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