A court has been told that a worker suffered fractures to his back, hip and leg when he was hit by a four-tonne piling hammer after it broke free while being lifted into position.
In September 2012 work to renew a sewage outlet in Hartlepool was being undertaken when Eric Wilson, who was in a metre of sea water using a hammer to drive piles into the beach moved the hammer and the using supporting it broke and it fell striking him.
He was standing in seawater, around one metre deep, using the hammer to drive timber piles into the beach. But as the hammer was moved from one pile to the next, the sling supporting it broke and the hammer fell, knocking him down into the water. Mr Wilson spent 11 days in hospital and has been unable to return to work and has persistent pain.
Failure by Soutbay Civil Engineering Ltd to properly plan, supervise and operate a lift policy in a safe manner were found to be the case in a Health and Safety Executive investigation Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court was told on Monday 20 April. Costain Ltd, had failed to properly manage and monitor.
The court was told a smaller hammer, which was easily lifted into position by the excavators on site, had been identified when the work was initially planned. However, the smaller hammer was found not to be powerful enough so a larger hammer was brought in.
Costain Ltd, was fined £19,000 and ordered to pay £14,895.25 costs after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. Southbay Civil Engineering Ltd, of The Bailey, Cumberland Road, North Shields, was fined £19,000 and ordered to pay £8,652.45 costs after pleading guilty to a breach of Regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.