Unite raises health and safety awareness as a member is killed at
work
9 June 2010
Unite, the UK’s biggest trade union, is calling on all safety
reps to be extra vigilant in ensuring employers take all the
necessary steps to prevent fatalities in the workplace after a
member was tragically killed while at work.
An electrician working for Corus at its Scunthorpe Concast plant
was fatally injured whilst carrying out maintenance duties last
April. He was working on a high level access platform on a semi
goliath crane when he became trapped and was crushed by an overhead
crane that was operating on the crane track level above.
Corus has launched an investigation into the incident and will
be co-operating fully with all the relevant authorities including
the Health and Safety Executive. Unite reps are also involved in
the investigation.
Terry Pye, Unite national officer for metals, sais: “This is a
tragic incident where yet another Unite member has been killed at
work. We are working with Corus to find the reasons for this
accident, and the HSE is investigating all of the circumstances
surrounding this death.
“It is important that other employers are aware of this accident
so that they can make sure nothing similar can happen
elsewhere.
“We are calling on all Unite safety reps to raise this alert
with their employers and check that, if they have similar
arrangements, all necessary steps have been taken to make sure a
tragedy such as this cannot happen to them.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Crane maintenance fatal accident - Corus Long
Products Scunthorpe
On 23 April 2010 a Corus employee electrician, and Unite member,
was fatally injured whilst carrying out maintenance duties at the
Slabyard area of the Corus Scunthorpe Concast plant. He was working
on a high level access platform on a semi-goliath crane, when he
was trapped and crushed by an overhead crane that was operating on
the crane track level above.
The semi-goliath crane has a "basket" on top where there are brass
slippers that connect with the power supply t-rails. The overhead
crane that operates above the semi-goliath also has a t-rail basket
that is suspended from the underside of the crane. It appears that
he was working inside the semi-goliath basket when the overhead
crane passed above, trapping and crushing him between the two
baskets.
Corus has launched an investigation and will be co-operating
fully with all the relevant authorities including the Health and
Safety Executive. Unite reps are also involved in the
investigation. It is too early at this stage to confirm any more
details. Until the causes of this incident fully investigated
companies need to be reminded of some key general considerations
when working in proximity to overhead cranes.
It is essential to identify all hazards in particular exposure
to other moving equipment.
Procedures should ensure that all the identified hazards are
adequately controlled; this includes:
- Isolation and immobilisation where the potential for trapping
by other moving equipment exists.
- Clear communication of any maintenance activity to other
affected operations should be made including the confirmation of
control measures.
- Prior to starting any activity a risk assessment should be made
to check that hazards are controlled.
For further information contact: Bud Hudspith, Unite health and
safety advisor 07881 588 917 or Jody Whitehill, Unite press office
07768 693 956
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