Warehouse floor work ends in crane crush death

A construction company and its managing director have been sentenced after a father-of-two was crushed to death when a crane overturned in Liverpool.

Richard Mark Thornton, 46, from Longridge near Preston, died when a 50-tonne crane toppled over while moving a steel column on 29 March 2007.

Mr Thornton, known as Mark, had been helping to construct a new floor on a warehouse at Wavertree Business Park when he was struck by the column.


Mr Thornton's employer, Siteweld Construction Ltd, and the managing director of the company, Benjamin Lee, were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to make sure the work was planned and carried out safely.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the crane had been used to lift the six-tonne steel column when it was nearly 18 metres away, taking it well outside its safe lifting capacity for that distance.

The HSE investigation found the crane had not been properly maintained and the external alarm could not be heard by those working nearby. The override switches were also faulty, including the switch that prevented the crane lifting loads beyond its capacity.

Benjamin Lee, 36 of Ashley Lane, Goosnargh, Preston, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. He was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £18,478 in prosecution costs on 16 December 2011.

Siteweld Construction Ltd, of Berry Lane, Longridge, Preston, pleaded guilty to the same offence. It received a nominal fine of £50 with no costs as it has ceased trading.

Mark Thornton's widow, Sandra, said: "Mark and I were together over 20 years. We used to do everything together. When Mark died, my life stopped. I don't live, I exist.

"It is hard to express just how much I miss him. I open the front door and he's just not there."


The crane hire firm, Bryn Thomas Crane Hire Ltd, and the crane's operator, Frederick Scott, were also prosecuted for health and safety failings. They were sentenced at an earlier hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on 11 April 2011.

Sarah Wadham, the investigating inspector at HSE, said: "It is tragic that Mr Thornton died because a series of health and safety warnings and procedures were ignored. The crane was simply not capable of lifting the steel column, when it was nearly 18 metres away, without it being overloaded.

"If the work had been properly planned, and the crane had been properly maintained, then Mr Thornton would still be alive today. It is vital construction companies learn from this case to prevent similar deaths in the future."



Regulation 8(1) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that every lifting operation involving lifting equipment is properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised, and carried out in a safe manner."