A catastrophic accident caused by a toppling crane not only resulted in the tragic and avoidable death of a worker but also criminal liability and a fine of £80,000.00 for a Director of the employer (now in liquidation), evidencing that, when it comes to major breaches of Health and Safety, it’s not possible to hide behind the “corporate veil”.
The accident in 2007 happened when the deceased, Richard Thornton was crushed under a 50-tonne crane because the crane was too far away from the steal column it was lifting. the preosecution of the company and director was on the grounds that :-
- the work had not been planned and carried out safely
- the crane had not been properly maintained – it’s alarm was not fit for purpose and, crucially, override switches were also faulty. Had such switch been working it would have prevented the lift in the first place due to the overload.
This is another tragic case and it clearly evidences that if not on conscience grounds, directors should be very aware that they can be hit very hard financially if they do not take health and safety seriously.
