A heavy lifting company has been fined £24,000 after two of its workers fell from a crane platform.
On 19 January 2021, two men setting up a crane at Blyth Harbour, Northumberland, for Osprey Heavy Lift fell from a height when the platform they were working on partially collapsed, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
According to a statement from the regulator, four lifting chains were being used to install the platform, each with a safety clasp and a hook coiled over metal spikes. The men removed two of the four lifting chains and moved across the platform to fasten the other side to the crane’s hangers. One side of the platform then fell to the ground after the other two lifting chains came loose from their spikes.
Both men fell from the platform, despite wearing safety equipment, the HSE said. One of the men suffered fractures to his ribs, right wrist and eye socket after falling about four meters.
An investigation by the safety watchdog found that Osprey had not properly planned the lift, meaning it had not provided the right lifting accessories, and that the company had not identified suitable anchor points for workers who they used fall arrest equipment, nor did they take into account fall distances.
The HSE also found that Osprey had failed to provide adequate instructions and information about lifting operations and working at height.
HSE inspector Clare Maltby said: “Companies carrying out crane rigging work must properly plan their lifting activities and work at height, ensuring that the equipment selected is suitable for the task “.
Osprey Heavy Lift Ltd, based in Portishead, Bristol, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on November 7. The company was ordered to pay £9,136 in costs in addition to the fine.
Maltby added: “All organizations carrying out lifting and working at height need to ensure that the work is planned correctly and the correct equipment is selected.
“Workers should receive adequate health and safety information and instructions.”
