29.02.2016
Falcon pleads guilty
UK-based Falcon Crane Hire has pleaded guilty to charges relating to the Battersea tower crane collapse in 2006, after charges against managing director Doug Genge were dropped.
The plea came today as the trial was due to start and relates to the incident in which crane operator Jonathan Cloke, 37, and bystander Michael Alexa, 21, died when the crane’s slew ring parted company with the tower. The subsequent investigation found the crane had been fitted with the heavier 12 tonne counterweight and the longer back mast which only required eight tonnes. The company had also neglected to investigate why four bolts on the slew ring had failed two months earlier.
Two dead in London tower crane collapse
The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure heath and safety and welfare of employees at work and exposing another to risks to health and safety - both breaches of the Health & Safety act - and as a result two similar charges against Genge, 71, were dropped.
Deanna Heer, prosecuting, said: “The prosecution and the defence have been in discussion. The company has agreed to plead guilty on the condition that the prosecution bring to a conclusion the case against Mr Genge, its managing director.”
Judge Alistair McCreath accepted the basis of plea and allowed the charges against Genge to be dropped and adjourned sentencing until March 15 so that members of Cloke’s family can fly over from South Africa to attend the hearing.
See 10 years to prosecute
Battersea crane verdict
Wrong Manual used
Inquest opens today
Falcon Crane issues statement
Two dead in London tower crane collapse
Good Morning Mr Wood,
Thank you for your input, as its a pleasure to communicate with you personally. ( rather than thru an anonymous third party) : The HSE in the UK will confirm, that…..
142 Men and Women were Killed at Work in 2015.
(Source is HSE published data on Workplace Fatalities 2015)
35 Men & Women plus 4 x Civilians were Killed in the UK Construction Industry. (Source is page 3 of same HSE data)
190 Men, Women & Children Killed by Cranes & Lifting Operations Worldwide in 2015. (Source is MJP data)
55 miles from your London Office is Didcot Power Station where you will find a 10 Metre High Pile of Structural Steel from the Collapsed Boiler House with all Three Heroic Emergency Services involved for 12 days now. As a result of this Thames Valley Police issued a Press Release on Thursday 030316, saying “The first priority remains the recovery of the bodies of the three missing people so they can be returned to their families. The safety of all those involved in this operation remains paramount”. So it is interesting to reflect that you have the Brass Neck, the Brass Neck to assert that Safety is being managed properly, when it is self-evident that your claim is not supported by the facts above.
My Heart goes out to the Families of these Men, as I too have felt the pain of a Workplace Fatality. And as no-one else will speak-up for the Dead, I will.
Your time would be much better spent is Training your Members in how to comply with the English Common Law obligation known as ‘Safe Systems of Work’.
( Not the Unsafe methods of Working that this excellent Vertikal website displays to the World on a daily basis)
Why, because Worker Safety is my Core Value.
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby
cfk88
Mike Ponsonby do you ever post anything of any value . Seriously I have never seen you contribute anything sensible to a discussion.
Good Morning Mr Editor,
February 2016 is now closed and with it yet another Fifteen (15) Crane & Lifting Incidents Worldwide leading to Fifteen (15) Fatalities. All of which is recorded as part of my 8yr Detailed Research into Crane Incidents, with 252 Men, Women and Children all Killed by Cranes and/or Lifting Operations since the 1st of January 2014 (010114) : Database Details recorded during February 2016 were as follows…..
1. Two seperate Cranes Dropped Two Lattice Jibs (one of 565ft or 172m) Killing Three Men on the Ground.
2. Hydraulic AWP Crossing Railway Tracks nr Zwolle in Holland, derails a Train Killing the Driver in his Cab.
3. Rigging Failure during a Lift Kills Three Men within 48 Hours in the UK and USA.
Please let no-one describe these Fatal Incidents as ‘Accidents’, because this Terminology perpetuates the myth that such events are neither avoidable nor preventable, when in reality they are entirely preventable for anyone who cares to look. With the AWP Incident above being a perfect example of a Foreseeable Fatality, caused by non-application of the Six P’s. So as this Death Toll is ongoing, what then is to be done to stop these Fatal Incidents: To that end, may I suggest that ……
4. We consign this Weasel word ‘Accident’ to the Dustbin of History.
5. Start a Training, Instruction and Supervision Programme for all involved in Lifting Operations, including the CEO.
6. Stop Blaming the Driver and start adopting ‘Safe Systems of Work’ which is the the English Common Law obligation.
Doubting Thomas's all too frequently accuse me of ‘Hindsight’ which is not true, as I simply hold a mirror up to the Crane Industry and report the reflected image. What is true is the lack of ‘Foresight' with many CEO’s and MD’s not asking themselves the question “ What If” and in doing so leave themselves and their companies exposed to enormous Fines and the possibility of section 37 offences. A VG example of this being the CEO of a £100 million PA company who told me personally that “Health and Safety was a Load of Bollocks”.
Recent events confirms once again the importance of undertaking suitable and sufficient Risk Assessments (RA) as part of the RAMS procedure, because if the RA does not identify all Significant Hazards involved in that particular activity, then the Drafter of the Method Statement (MS) cannot devise the Safe System of Work needed to mitigate the Risk of those Hazards leading to the possibility and probability of a Fatal Incident : The acceptable level of Risk known to HSE in the UK is ‘ As Low as Reasonably Practicable’ (ALARP) and this is only achieved by implementation of the Additional Control Measures needed to minimise both the Hazards and the Risks arising.
Readers may be interested to know that Liverpool Crown Court Fined JLR Ltd £30000 plus £20000 Costs on 11th September 2015, for Not Undertaking a Risk Assessment Before a Crane Lift on 26th September 2011 : All of which is a statutory obligation, in line with Regulation 3(1) of The Management Regs 1999.
My Detractors can rest easy, as I know that my Crane Fatalities Reports are unlikely to be popular with Snr Executives. However the answer lies in your hands (not mine) as Executive Directors are 100% liable for Crane Safety. Those Directors who would already claim to be Managing Safety correctly, should re-read the Facts above and ask yourself, are we truly applying Safe Systems of Work 24/7 ?
Barring a High Court Injunction my Crane Safety Work will Continue. Why, because Worker Safety is my Core Value.
Kind Regards
Mike Ponsonby