Worker crushed by falling crane in Liverpool

A worker was crushed by a falling crane in Liverpool. A jury at the inquest jury ruled that the death of a man on a building site in Liverpool was accidental.
The construction worker was struck by a 2.4 tonne concrete counterweight that flew from the crane in Liverpool in 2007. Other parts of the crane were sent flying over a row of terraced houses.

Accidental Death

The coroner said the 35 year old died of multiple injuries and the jury at Liverpool Coroner's Court returned a verdict of accidental death. The Liverpool coroner said he would be writing to the government about the safety of tower cranes being used across Europe. He said ´The jury conclude that the man died as a result of an accident.´ The inquest heard how there was a ´massive overload´ which caused the crane to snap just below the driver's cab and collapse onto the building site, where an apartment block and underground car park were being built.

Crane crashed down

Geoff Frackleton, principle specialist inspector for the Health and Safety Executive in the North West, said: ´The crane crashed down very violently and as it did it turned over and struck a partially constructed lift tower. It then turned upside down and landed on a building.´ Frackleton added: The investigation had shown a gust of wind of about 82kmph, which was 10kmph above the maximum for safe operating speeds. The wind had blown the jib – the arm of the crane – upwards without setting off alarms in the cab.

Alarm checks

The alarm checks the wind speed every three seconds and had been changed to sound a warning when speeds reached more than 50kmph. As a result a steel rope connected to bars joined to the arm of the crane started to loop behind the driver's cab the jury heard. The inquest heard a hook holding a load of concrete columns became caught on part of the tower's lighting. The crane arm then fell forward, causing it to collapse. The driver of the crane would not have been aware of the rope looping behind him, and said that there were no alarms sounding alerting him to the dangerously strong winds.
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said their investigation into the crane and current safety regulations which are standard across Europe were ongoing.

The BBC news website covered the following story which relate to Personal Injur  and Accidents in the workplace.

Home >> Accidents At Work

• Accidents At Work
• Holidays
• Road Accidents
• Personal Injuries
• Compensation Claims

Article Categories