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£44,000 penalty after worker is killed by heavy load (19 October 2016)

Date: 19/10/2016
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, £44,000 penalty after worker is killed by heavy load

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a building contractor, after a worker was killed when a load fell from a tower crane during a lifting operation in Colchester, Essex.

Urban Summit Construction Ltd was the principal contractor on a construction site at King Edward Quay in Haven Road, Colchester – where 780 apartments for student accommodation were being built.

On 8 January 2014, during a lifting operation using the site’s tower crane, a load become detached from the chains and landed on the banksman in charge of the operation – David Holloway, 35, sustained extensive injuries and died on site.

An HSE investigation found that Urban Summit Construction Ltd had failed to ensure that lifting operation was carried out in a safe manner.

At Colchester Magistrates’ Court, Urban Summit Construction Ltd of 15 California, Little Downham in Ely, Cambridgeshire was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £29,127 in costs, after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 8 (1)(c) of The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector David King said:

“It is essential that lifting operations are carried out in a safe manner, to help ensure the lift is carried out without risk to those in the area.

“Lifting operations must be properly planed by a competent person, carried out by adequately trained persons, and with appropriate supervision – guidance on carrying out lifting operations safely is freely available on HSE’s website.

“If this company had properly planned and supervised this work, this tragic incident could have been avoided.”


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