12.11.2012

Crane men jailed

Five men blamed for the death of a co-worker crushed by a falling crane in Dubai, have been fined Dh2,000 ($540) each and jailed for three months.

They were also ordered by the Misdemeanours Court to pay blood money of Dh200,000 ($54,000) between them to the family of the dead man.

The incident occurred at the Jumeirah Pearl Island construction site on Christmas day last year when the cables supporting the crane’s boom are said to have given-way, allowing the boom to drop. The deceased man is said to have panicked and ran into the path of the falling boom, which struck him directly on the head.

The five men included the crane operator, the site supervisor, and engineer, the head of security and the 66 year old project manager from Canada. The others were from India, Bangladesh and Syria.

The men were charged with mistakenly causing death by failing to follow safety regulations and neglecting the maintenance of the crane. All five denied the charge when they appeared in court.

The crane was moved in from another site and while it had been inspected after erection, municipality rules require a certificate to be issued to certify it as safe for use. A report by the municipality said that no such certificate had been issued.

There was debate in court over who was supposed to have obtained the certificate, with a good deal of finger pointing and protestations of ignorance.
The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days.