Newbury company fined over worker's death
Anthony Milani of Woolton Hill had not been properly trained and was electrocuted when his crane touched power cables
A Newbury roofing company has been prosecuted after an employee was electrocuted while operating a crane.
Anthony Milani, aged 26, of Greenacres, Woolton Hill died on August 14, 2007, when the crane he was operating touched overhead power cables at West Horton Farm Industrial Estate, near Eastleigh.
Last Friday (March 11) at Southampton Crown Court, Blackford (Newbury) Ltd, of Hambridge Road, Newbury, formerly Harris Roofing Supplies Ltd, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974.
The company was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs in the case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The court heard that Mr Milani had been employed by Blackford as an HGV driver and warehouseman in April 2007.
He was shown how to use the lorry-mounted Hiab crane by the senior warehouseman who the court heard was not a competent trainer.
Mr Milani was delivering roofing materials to the premises of SBM at the industrial estate on his own, when he parked directly underneath the three overhead 11Kv cables.
Signs warning of overhead cables had been removed several weeks earlier by the site owners.
After unloading the second pallet, he brought the jib of the crane across the rear of the flatbed when it struck one of the cables. He had deployed only the nearside stabiliser when both sides should have been used. He was killed instantly.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Dennis MacWilliam, said:
“Proper training, simple checks and procedures could have prevented this horrific incident. Tragically, Mr Milani had been booked-in to do a professional course in handling lorry mounted cranes in the month he died.
“The company failed to provide suitable and sufficient training and supervision for Mr Milani in the use of Hiab cranes and especially the risk from overhead power lines. They also failed to ensure lifting operations were properly planned and hazards identified.
“Delivery arrangements at clients' premises should also have been checked from time to time.
