The lack of a 10mm washer resulted in a heavy load falling 70m from a tower crane, a UK court has heard.
Construction contractor Cleveland Bridge UK was fined £15,000 ($27,000) plus costs for a series of safety failures that led to the load falling at a high-rise office block, 20 Canada Square, in London’s Canary Wharf in March 2002. The load was a 7.5m-high staircase. It plummeted more than 70m to the ground, smashing into a boundary fence, bounced off a busy site footpath and came to a rest near some workers.
‘It is remarkable that no one was seriously injured or killed when this heavy staircase hit the ground,’ said Health & Safety Executive inspector Andy Beal after the 5 January court hearing.
The load dropped from the tower crane used by Cleveland Bridge when specially-designed rigging failed, the HSE found. The staircase was lifted from eyebolts threaded into blocks welded to it near the centre of gravity. According to the HSE investigation, when one eyebolt pulled out of the block, the staircase hung from the second, which failed, and the staircase fell. Neither block was bolted up to the collar, because a 10mm washer was not used.
‘The evidence is that no-one on site was aware of this and no supply of washers had been made available,’ the report said. ‘Clearly without the use of suitable washer it was impossible for the eyebolt shoulder to contact the face of the block even when fully tightened.’
The investigation also found that site personnel slinging training omitted the use of eyebolts, and company safety audits did not cover this operation.
In a statement, the contractor said it regretted the incident, adding: ‘Since the incident Cleveland Bridge UK has undertaken a major review of this particular procedure and system and it will not be used by the company again.’
