Ken Joyce, 53, of Lanchester, County Durham, was working for Allan Turnbull, trading as A&H Site Line Boring and Machining, when the incident happened on 2 December 2008. He was dismantling the structural steelwork of the roof of the Burning Hall at the Swan Hunter Shipyard in Wallsend, Newcastle.
During a four-week trial at Newcastle Crown Court, a jury heard how Mr Joyce was working from one cherry picker while two colleagues were working from another cherry picker and a crane. They were dismantling the structure and were using a crane to lower the steel beams to the ground.
While removing a beam brace connecting two plate girders, one of the plate girders struck the basket of the cherry picker in which Mr Joyce was standing, knocking the equipment over.
Mr Joyce fell to the ground below and suffered serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead soon after.
HSE Inspector Emma Scott, said:
“This was a tragedy that could easily have been prevented had a safe system of work been in place. Instead Ken Joyce lost his life as a result of collective failures which included not preparing in advance a detailed plan of how the work should be carried out and no lifting plans to ensure the safe removal of the beams.”
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-ne-3813.htm?ebul=gd-cons/may13=3