Creagh Concrete hit with £1m fine after works fatality

Stewart Ramsay, from Mansfield, was working for Creagh Concrete Products at its Hoveringham site in Nottingham when he suffered fatal head injuries on 15 March 2017.

The young worker was trying to fix a problem that happened as he and colleagues were using a metal grab to unload Spantherm, a concrete building product, from some trailers.

The metal grab shouldn’t have been in use.

Ramsay’s head became trapped in the jaws of the grab after a rope connected to the locking lever snapped.

Even though the rope was tied in a double-knot, the locking mechanism released the jaws of the grab as Ramsay pulled on it, causing fatal injuries.

CCP was sentenced at Nottinghamshire Crown Court after the firm admitted failing to ensure its employees carried out lifting operations safely and without training and information being in place.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that both the grab and a fork lift truck being used at the time were in poor condition. Neither should have been in service at the time of the incident.

CCP had failed to ensure that these pieces of work equipment had been maintained in an efficient state, efficient working order or in good repair.

HSE Inspector Mr Amandip Dhanda said: ”This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a young man.

“Stewart’s death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place.

“The work equipment being used at the time of the incident should not have been in use, and the employer would have known this had they effectively followed their own health and safety systems.”