Health and safety horrors (9): death from crushing

In March 2024 Graniteland Ltd and Shu Lai Li, the company’s director, were fined at Dudley magistrates’ court following the death of a worker.

In November 2020 an employee was unpacking and moving granite slabs, using an overhead crane, at the company’s site.

Two of the slabs, which each weighed 250 kg, fell and crushed the worker against a forklift truck as he was operating the crane’s controls. He suffered fatal injuries.

The company and its director had failed to implement training or to develop safe systems of work for the handling of the slabs.

There was no evidence that workers had received training in the safe operation of machinery which included the overhead crane.

The crane and the forklift truck had not been thoroughly examined.

Webbing slings, which could have been used during the unpacking process, were damaged.

The company was fined ￡18,000 plus ￡4100 costs.

Shu Lai Li was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and to pay ￡4000 costs.