Father crushed to death in work accident
Personal Injury 21 Dec 2011
A father has been crushed to death in Liverpool after a crane overturned.
Richard Mark Thornton, 46, from Preston, was killed when a 50-tonne crane fell and caused a column to collapse on him while he was constructing a new floor on a warehouse at Wavertree Business Park.
Siteweld Construction Ltd, Mr Thornton's employer, and the managing director of the company Benjamin Lee, were prosecuted by the Health and Safety executive for failing to make sufficient plans to ensure that the work was carried out safely.
Moreover, the crane used to lift the column was well outside of its safe lifting capacity and had not been properly maintained.
Mr Lee pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8 (1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and was fined £80,000, in addition to £18,478 in prosecution costs.
Siteweld Construction Ltd pleaded guilty to the same offence and received a nominal fine of £50 with no costs, as it has ceased trading.
LOLER covers any equipment that lifts or lowers loads, including a person. A company can be charged under this act even when using ropes, personal suspension equipment and rigging systems.
Published by Tessa Jones
