Crane hire firm fined £18k for workplace negligence

A Hertfordshire-based company has been fined for a workplace accident that could have endangered the lives of its employees and members of the public.

London Tower Crane Hire & Sales Limited - which offers hire services for mechanical equipment around its depot in Borehamwood - has been ordered to pay a fine of £18,000 and costs of £15,837.45 by Hertford Magistrates' Court in a case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The firm was charged after the hook broke on one of its cranes, leaving a four-tonne load free to drop 36 metres to the ground below. The hazardous object narrowly missed a nearby footpath at Hertfordshire Regional College in Turnford during the incident in November 2007.

Meanwhile, the impact of the fall also led to a boundary fence being destroyed and a college building being damaged.

HSE inspector Norman Macritchie labelled the occurrence "entirely avoidable" and added "it was a matter of good fortune that no-one was injured".

Posted by Patrick White
 

19/08/2010 16:29