Plant hirer fined £220k after crane boom topples

A plant hire firm has been fined £220,000 after an apprentice narrowly avoided potentially fatal injury when the boom of a mobile crane toppled.

On 3 August 2016, an apprentice at M&J Engineers Limited
had climbed on to the roof of an accommodation cabin to attach a power float to
the chains of a mobile crane. The crane operator, who had not been
appropriately trained, began to extend the boom and move the crane into
position. The crane had not been set up correctly and the boom of the crane
toppled over toward the apprentice. The apprentice jumped out of the way of the
boom avoiding a potentially fatal incident. However, his fall from height
caused injuries to his leg and back, proceedings at Knights Chamber,
Nightingale Court, in Peterborough heard.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
found the company did not have a safe system of work in place and the crane
operator had not been adequately trained. There was no clear instruction
concerning the use of the crane or which areas the crane was prohibited from
operating. They also had no way of ensuring that the apprentice was suitably
managed.

M&J Engineers of Cashel Works, Cadwell Lane, Hitchin,
Hertfordshire was found guilty of breaching Section 2(1) Health and safety at
Work etc Act 1974. They were fined £220,000 and ordered to pay costs of
£65,443.72.

HSE inspector Nigel Fitzhugh said: “Those in control of work
have a responsibility to provide adequate training to their employees so that
they can operate equipment safely and devise safe methods of working. This
includes providing the appropriate information, instruction and training to
their workers.”