HSE prosecutes seven parties for death of demolition worker
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that it is prosecuting seven parties for the death of an untrained demolition worker in 2002.
David Moran, a 31-year-old untrained demolition worker, died as a result of an eight-metre fall after stepping onto a fragile roof light. He and another untrained worker were trying to use the roof light as a route to gain access to another roof on site.
Elmsgold Haulage of Manchester and its managing director John McSweeney both face three: charges: failure to provide a safe system of work; failure to ensure that workers on site were trained and supervised; and failure to ensure lifting equipment had been properly examined and inspected. Although Mr McSweeney has not entered a plea, Elmsgold pleaded guilty on all three counts.
The principal contractor on the project, Excavation & Contracting (UK) Ltd and its former managing director Bernard O'Sullivan have been charged with failure to ensure risks to non employees were properly controlled. The company has pleaded guilty while Mr O'Sullivan has not yet entered a plea.
Also facing prosecution, for failure to ensure the safety of other employees are Glyn Hines, the former contracts manager for Excavation & Contracting and Dennis O'Connor, site foreman for Elmsgold. Hines pleaded not guilty while O'Connor pleaded guilty.
The final prosecution in the case was of John Edge, one of the partners of Knight Frank, a planning superviosr for the project. Edge pleaded guilty to two charges under Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and was fined £7,000 plus costs at a hearing in Warrington in January this year.
The forthcoming prosecutions are likely to be heard at Warrington Crown Court on a date yet to be decided.
|
Linear Mode
