![PP Construction Safety logo and link to home page [1]](http://www.ppconstructionsafety.com/wp-content/themes/ppcs960/images/ppcslogo.jpg)
Dozer fall fatally injures workman during lifting operation
Tate and Lyle Industries Ltd has been fined over £1/4m following the death of a contractor who was inside a bulldozer when it fell from the crane lowering it into the hold of a ship in March 2004. The company was also ordered to pay £90k towards prosecution costs.
The dozer was being lowered when a lifting lug, connecting the lifting chain to the crane, failed. The dozer struck the ship and fell into the water.
The court heard that investigation identified a series of failures in the company management of dock operations relating to:
- provision and management of access to the ships being unloaded;
- management and control staff and contractors.
HSE Inspector John Crookes said: “In failing to identify and address these inadequacies before they led to the death of a worker, Tate and Lyle’s performance fell well below what could be reasonably expected of them.”
Comment: This lifting operations prosecution may be of interest to the construction sector as indicative of the potential fines in such cases. It is a pity that more detail has not been released on the precise cause of the lug failure and the management failings. More information would be helpful to those looking for lessson from such tragic incidents