Death at Hampstead site leads to prosecution

Date:

31 January 2012

Release No:

COILDN/3101

A construction company and director have been fined following the death of a worker at a site in Hampstead.

Father-of-one, Craig Page, of Islington, was working on a building site in Denning Road, when a mini-crawler crane was in the process of lifting a skip onto the site.

The overturned mini-crawler crane which crushed Mr Page

The skip, containing liquid concrete, overturned and the boom of the crane struck Mr Page, 26, causing crush injuries to his upper body. He died at the scene.

Harris Calnan Construction Co. Ltd and its director, Neil Harris, were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for breaching health and safety legislation.

The HSE investigation showed the company failed to properly plan or supervise lifting operations on the site.

The Central Criminal Court heard the construction site was poorly managed by the company who failed to ensure the lifting operation was carried out safely.

HSE Inspector, Dominic Ellis, said:

"From the start of this project the defendants failed to control even the most basic of risks on the construction site. These failings ultimately resulted in the tragic and entirely avoidable death of Mr Page.

"The defendant's failure to appropriately plan, manage and supervise lifting operations on site led to this incident.

"The attempted lift of a liquid concrete load at a distance far in excess of the crane's safe working parameters was wholly innapropriate. The potential for overturn in these circumstances is well known, entirely foreseeable and could have been simply prevented."

Harris Calnan Construction Co. Ltd, of Parmenter House, Tower Street, Winchester, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. It was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £66,244.

The firm's director, Neil Harris, of the same address, pleaded guilty by virtue of Section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to regulation 8(1)(a) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. He was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay costs of £25,000.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. Regulation 8(1)(a) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is properly planned by a competent person."
3. Regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is carried out in a safe manner."

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