Companies fined after building site accident (From This Is Cheshire)

Companies fined after building site accident

11:14am Wednesday 10th September 2008 in News

TWO companies have been fined a total of £20,000 following an accident at a Great Sankey construction site.

The construction companies were prosecuted at Warrington Magistrates Court this week after a 35 tonne truck mounted telescopic crane overturned.

The crane driver was forced to leap to safety and the 5.7 tonne beam that was being lifted into place narrowly missed two employees as it fell. The incident happened last February at Lingley Mere where a new fire control centre was under construction.

The main Contractor AMEC Group Ltd (Amec) of Northwich was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £9,143 costs and crane operators Leach Structural Steelwork Ltd (Leach) of Preston was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £9,143 costs. Both admitted the charges.

HSE Inspector Nic Rigby, who investigated the case, said: "This prosecution should act as a warning to all those involved in crane operations. It was down to chance alone that this incident did not result in multiple fatalities. This would have been avoided had the planning and supervision of the lifting operation not been so deficient.

"The crane overturned because it was being operated, with the knowledge of both companies, in a part of the site that had not been prepared for such activities. The roadway was not wide enough to accommodate the outrigger spread of the crane.

"Clear warnings were ignored in the run-up to this incident about the ground bearing capacity for the use of cranes on the site.”