Teesside firm fined £15,000 after worker hit by falling beam

Date:

19 September 2008

Release No:

NE/468/08

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning companies which use electro-magnetic cranes that they must ensure the safety of their employees working near them after an incident on Teesside which left a man with back injuries and a broken leg.

This warning comes after Corus UK Ltd, trading as Corus Tubes in Hartlepool, was fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,248 at Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to a charge under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety Work etc. Act 1974 following the incident on 27 April 2007.

HSE inspector, Bruno Porter, said: "The crane operator was nearby using a remote control to lift a raft of steel beams, the longest one, some 16m in length and weighing about 1.7 tonnes, using a magnetic crane attachment. A beam snagged on the side of the building and fell from the crane, hitting the operator. He suffered severe injuries to his back and leg which left him unable to work for months.

Electro-magnetic attachments to cranes can reduce certain risks, such as having to climb onto loads to sling and release the load. However, these magnets can drop their loads for a number of reasons and it is important that no one is anywhere near the suspended load until it is in a safe position. In this case the combination of the length of the steel beams and the site layout meant there was no safe operating position. The problems with magnetic cranes were well know at Corus and an alternative way of working should have been found to protect both the operator and other workers in the area."

Notes to Editors

1. Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”

2. For further information on managing risks in the construction see http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm

Public enquiries:

Call HSE's InfoLine, Tel: 08701 545500, or write to: HSE InfoLine, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.

Press enquiries (Journalists only):

to Jackie Woods: Tel: 0191 202 3604; or Jill Barber: Tel: 0191 202 3609.

Issued on behalf of the HSE by COI NEWS and PR.Tel: 0191 202 3604/3609
HSE information and press releases can be accessed on the Internet: http://www.hse.gov.uk/