Dartford, UK-based Select was fined £100,000 plus costs of £33,000 at a case at the Old Bailey in Central London after being prosecuted over the incident, which saw the top of the Comedil tower crane fall into the Croydon Park Hotel. This left the crane’s operator with multiple injuries, although no one was killed.
The crane’s cab fell after an erection crew, working to extend the tower, removed fittings and failed to secure the cab with the required bolts and washers.
“Firstly let me re-state the over-arching importance of safety in our business,” a spokesperson for Select said. “Select Plant Hire has had an impeccable record and we take the safety of employees, of our partners and of course the wider public extremely seriously.
“The company is committed to ensuring safety on all its sites and deeply regrets the circumstances which led to this isolated incident.
“Lessons have been learned from this, long before today’s case, and a thorough review undertaken of all crane procedures to ensure nothing like this can happen again.”
The spokesperson said the trial was told of a number of steps and measures now in place at Select, which are designed to safeguard the well-being of its employees and prevent a similar accident occurring again.
These include: two days a month of formal training for operatives; six days a month of refresher training; creating two new roles to oversee safety and onsite work practices; opening a new crane training facility at its St Neots facility; introducing a critical culture, where employees are encouraged to ask questions; introducing method statements with visual aids; piloting 3D technologies as visual aids; producing a detailed load list, to ensure all crane components are delivered to site; and producing an employee newsletter with a focus on legislation and examples of good, and bad, practices.
Select, part of the Laing O’Rourke group of companies, has also produced an instructional DVD alongside construction firm Bovis, designed for internal use but with the potential for wider use in the crane industry. The Health and Safety Executive has seen this DVD, said the spokesperson, and said it is “excellent”.
