STATEMENT BY MIKE WILLIAMS, PRINCIPAL INSPECTOR, HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE TOWER CRANE COLLAPSE INQUEST

HSE press release E226:03 - 13 November 2003

The Coroner, Dr Reid, of St Pancras Coroner's Court, today recorded an open verdict at the inquest into the deaths of Michael Whittard, Martin Burgess and Peter Clark which occurred on 21 May 2000 when the top of a luffing jib tower crane overturned and fell to the ground at Canada Square, East London.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has undertaken an extensive investigation into this incident. However, despite this, we are aware that we may never establish conclusively the precise technical cause of this tragic incident, which resulted in the death of three people at work. It is very disappointing for us and the families that it has not yet been possible to pin down exactly what caused the accident.

However at this stage, the HSE investigation into this incident is not yet complete and we will be reviewing all the evidence in the light of the inquest before deciding what formal action we should now take. Therefore, for legal reasons HSE is not able to comment of the details of this incident at present.

The HSE investigation into this incident has been particularly technical and complex. HSE has drawn both on in-house specialist advice from HSE's Health and Safety Laboratory and external specialist structural engineering advice during the investigation. In an effort to pursue all reasonable leads we commissioned advice from a UK professor of structural engineering and a US crane specialist with the aim of finding out what happened and why.

As with all investigations, HSE seeks to find out the cause in order to prevent it from occurring again, and to learn lessons that can help others to prevent other accidents with that process or equipment. HSE also aims to determine whether any health and safety law has been broken and decide whether a prosecution is justified.

HSE has already taken a number of steps to improve the management of risks associated with external climbing frames with the aim of reducing the risk of future accidents. HSE believes that during the assembly, use and dismantling of any external climbing frames there is potential for serious accidents to occur and this may not have been fully recognised by the designers, manufacturers and users in the past.

Shortly after the accident, HSE took action to ensure that external climbing frames in the UK were being thoroughly examined as our intelligence suggested this had not been happening. Earlier this year, HSE published a discussion paper following a wider review of external climbing frames. HSE received 13 substantive responses; these were generally supportive of the arguments given in the paper and provided more useful information. These responses have been made available in summary form to the relevant British Standards Institute (BSI) committee. BSI have given HSE a commitment that they will reflect the discussion paper in the planned revision to that British Standard on tower cranes (British Standard 7121 Part 5). The British Standard covering the thorough examination and testing of cranes has already been revised to include a section on climbing frames (British Standard 7121 Part 2). Also, the recommendations on design contained in the discussion paper will be taken to the relevant European CEN committee and international ISO committee for crane standards.

Although these efforts should reduce the risk of any further incident occurring with external climbing frames, we acknowledge that it can't replace the loss of three lives or lessen the grief of their families and loved ones. Their grief has been at the front of our minds throughout the investigation and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

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