Crush tragedy costs firm £90k

Michael Wickstead

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A WELDER was killed in a horrific accident after a colleague pressed the wrong button on a remote control for an overhead crane, a court was told.

Michael Wickstead (63) was trapped by a three-ton steel shell at Refinery Supplies Ltd, on the Greengate Estate in Chadderton in July 2011.

A judge at Manchester Crown Court heard the accident could have been prevented. Fining the company £90,000 for a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, judge Angela Nield said Refinery Supplies had fallen significantly short of required standards.

She said: “This was a very real human tragedy, and no-one seeks to argue that the company was grossly negligent, or deliberately ignored safety issues. This was a sin of omission, rather than a deliberate avoiding of safety.”

The company — also ordered to pay £35,000 in costs — had no previous health and safety convictions and had cooperated fully with the Health and Safety Executive.

The judge added: “Mr Wickstead will no doubt leave many legacies. His workmates will remember him fondly - but his legacy to them, tragically, has been to make life safer for them.”

Mr Wickstead had been welding a flange on to a large steel shell supported by stands, but attached by chains to an overhead crane so it could be moved. A colleague finished welding another shell and sing a second crane on the same track, he moved his shell so both cranes were virtually touching. He lowered his shell, released the chains then intended to move his crane back. Instead he pressed the wrong button and caused a collision that hoisted Mr Wickstead’s shell into the air, where it swung and crushed him against another shell.

An investigation by the HSE concluded the practise of keeping the objects on chains wasn’t necessary and was unsafe. The specialist who carried out the investigation also criticised the remote control involved in the accident, whose design could be confusing.

John Cooper QC defending, said the company, which employs 15 people, had taken several steps following the tragedy, including the installation of anti-collision devices, and strict training programmes.

He said: “Too much was placed on the understanding that work would be done in a certain way, and a system that basically had flaws. The company has clearly engaged with the HSE, done everything asked of it, and gone way beyond.”

HSE Inspector Helen Jones said: “Michael sadly lost his life because the safety standards of his employer fell well below the minimum legal standards. Refinery Supplies knew there was a risk of cranes colliding and this had happened on several occasions without the same catastrophic result. The firm failed to take action to make sure workers weren’t put at risk.”