23.04.2004

UK contractor fined following MCWP collapse fatalities

UK construction contractor, John Laing Services Limited, has been fined a total of £175,000 and ordered to pay £40,000 costs at Southwark Crown Court, London, following the deaths of two workers at a London job site on May 26, 1995.

The accident occurred when Anthony Fear and Roy Anderson were dismantling a mast climbing work platform (MCWP) at a height of around 14 metres when it overturned. Both men fell to ground, recieving fatal injuries .

John Laing Services Limited pleaded guilty to a breach of duties under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974, in that they failed, so far as is reasonably practical, to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees.

Commenting on the case, HSE principal inspector, Tony Hetherington, said: “This tragic accident illustrates the importance of thinking through the implications of changing plant and working methods. When adjusting method statements and operating procedures, everyone affected by the changes should know of the implications and be able to work safely.”

During normal operation, a mast climbing work platform (MCWP) is attached to the structure that it serves to ensure stability. To assemble a MCWP, the initial mast section (approx three metres high) and the platform are assembled at ground level. The platform is then raised to the top of the existing mast and the next section of the mast is fixed in place and ties are fixed into the adjacent structure to ensure the stability of the MCWP. Erection of the MCWP continues in this way until the desired height is reached. Dismantling is the reverse of erection. It is normal and acceptable for erectors to stand on and work from the platform during erection and dismantling.

During the initial stages of erection, a twin mast MCWP is sufficiently stable to allow the work platform to be raised to the top of the first mast section in safety. Single mast MCWPs require outriggers to be provided to ensure their stability until upper mast sections can be positioned and tied back to the adjacent structure.