Firm fined £125,000 for crane deathsA building firm has been fined £125,000 and ordered to pay costs of £264,299 for its role in the deaths of two workers killed when a crane collapsed because an employee incorrectly adjusted bolts on its mast.
WD Bennett's Plant & Services Ltd was found guilty at Chichester Crown Court of two health and safety breaches which led to the deaths. Eurolift (Tower Cranes) Limited also pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws and construction regulations.
The two men, Steve Boatman and Gary Miles, were working on the crane's jib when the injured man loosened the crane's bolts in a procedure called 'de-torquing'. He was meant to tighten them again but did not due to a lack of training - leading the crane to collapse as it was turned.
Mr Boatman and Mr Miles were killed after they were thrown from the crane when it fell on its Worthing construction site in 2005.
HSE Inspector Peter Collingwood, who led the investigation, said: "The accident, in which two men lost their lives, was avoidable. It was caused by the inadequate supervision of a worker who was not trained, nor competent for the task that he was asked to undertake."
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