Worker Injured after Being Struck by Concrete Skip
A worker was struck by a concrete skip at a construction site in South London, leading to the site manager and a self-employed worker being fined for safety failings.
Incident & Injuries
27-year-old Ryan Musgrave told Woolwich Crown Court how he suffered a badly broken left leg, as well as fractures to his right ankle and several ribs during the incident at the Harris Academy in Welling, on 23rd February 2012.
The court heard how a 215kg empty concrete skip detached from an excavator, falling onto Mr Musgrave and leaving him to be unable to work for 17 months.
Investigation
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation into the incident and found there was no thorough examination certificate for the shackle on the excavator. The HSE investigation also found the shackle was faulty.
Sentencing
Site manager Christopher Crowley, of Dominion Drive, Collier Row in London was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,500, after admitting breaching Regulation 9(1)( a) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
Michael Kernan, the self-employed construction worker of CYC Coastal Club was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000, after breaching Regulation 8(1) (c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.
Speaking after the case HSE inspector Melvyn Stancliffe said:
“Mr Crowley should have taken the shackle on the excavator out of use when he inspected it two days before the incident as he had not seen a thorough examination report for it.
“The law is clear that lifting accessories must not be used unless they have been thoroughly examined in the previous six months and that there is a report available to prove that.
“Mr Kernan, an experienced construction worker, accepted that he did not fully screw in the pin on the shackle as he should have done and as a result it failed.
“Lifting accessories are not complex items but if they are not used properly or are not thoroughly examined periodically then the consequences can be serious. The practice known as ‘backing off’, unwinding the pin by a quarter of a turn, is not safe and shouldn’t be used.
“This case highlights the importance of ensuring simple checks are carried out properly and that equipment is used correctly”.
Accidents at work – expert advice
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Source: Health & Safety Executive
