Concrete crush accident at work

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A work compensation claim could be the next course of action for a family that lost its father in a tragic accident at work.

The 43-year-old victim was working on a building site in Thurrock, Essex, when he was crushed by a 31-tonne concrete beam which had been removed from a bridge. Basildon Crown Court heard that chains that had been securing the beam were removed before the load had been secured onto the low loader it was destined for.

Following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation, main demolition contractor Micor Ltd and subcontractor Crane and Transport Servics pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches – the former relating to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the latter to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations. Between them, the firms were fined £130,000 and ordered to pay £30,000 in costs. Their financial outlay could increase if the family of the victim decides to make a work compensation claim.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Nicola Surrey, remarks that "a family, including four children have had their lives devastated by this tragic incident. With adequate planning and supervision of how the concrete beam should have been secured on the low loader lorry, this outcome could have been avoided. This case is a warning to other employers that there are serious consequences for not protecting their workforce."

HSE figures show that there were 13,484 incidents in 2009/2010 where workers were struck by moving or falling objects. 2,810 of these were serious accidents at work, whilst 19 resulted in death.

We recently brought you the tragic story of another fatal crushing incident which could result in a work compensation claim. This one took place at a straw-powered power station in Cambridgeshire awhen a man was hit by a 700kg bale of straw which was intended to produce power at the EPR Ely site.

Of course, accidents at work which take place on construction and demolition sites don’t always result in death, so the kinds of claims that can be made will vary. One thing that does remain a constant is the need to make sure that you take your work compensation claim to an experienced law firm that has handled countless claims in the relevant area.

Reported by Fiona Campbell