Aylesbury Crown Court heard that on November 18th 2016, Paul Marsden, a sub-station crafts person for National Grid Electricity Transmission was scheduled, with a colleague, to move a delivery crate which had a compressor in it. Mr Marsden was using a remote-controlled lorry loader crane, the crane struck Mr Marsden, as they tried to attach the slings to hook, causing fatal injuries.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation and found that the National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC had failed to ensure that the lift had been effectively supervised and carried safely as well as being properly planned in the first place. They also found that the company had failed to ensure that adequate training had been put in place for Mr Marsden as it was a new lorry loader crane, in particular the further risks due to the remote-controlled unit.
Pleading guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC of The Strand, London was fined £334,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,673.34 as well as an additional victim surcharge of £170.
” This tragic incident could have been avoided if the company had properly planned the movement of the crate involved. Employers must recognise operating remote-controlled plants carry their own risks and should be managed appropriately, including through providing adequate training for employees’.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.” – Stephen Faulkner commented after the hearing.
