The crane grab which crushed a student to death wa
The crane grab which crushed a student to death was declared unsafe by a government inspector, the Old Bailey heard today.
(Weds)
Simon Jones, 24, was killed after the jaws of the clamshell grab accidentally snapped shut as he loaded bags of stone from a ships hold at Shoreham Harbour.
Christine Barringer, an HM Health and Safety Inspector, today (weds) concluded the machinery on the giant crane was dangerous and breached regulations.
The expert made several visits to the site to examine the equipment in the months after the tragedy, the court heard.
And following her inspection the expert gave Euromin a prohibition notice which banned the company from using the machinery.
Commenting on the set-up of the grab, Miss Berringer said: ‘I have never seen an operation like that.
‘In my opinion it would not have been a safe system of work in general.
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Miss Berringer said the banning order was imposed after she concluded the excavator, with lifting chain attachment, posed ‘a risk of serious personal injury.
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The equipment was unsuitable for the work for which it had been adapted, she explained.
During testing of the crane she noted the controls for the clamshell grab were ‘extremely sensitive’ and ‘remarkably quiet.
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Miss Berringer told the jury: ‘That sensitivity is for the benefit of the operator of the equipment to avoid any risk of strain and stress in the operation.
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After the inspection a legal notice was lodged with the company requiring a ‘proper program of induction and training for all casuals.
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The court has heard Mr Jones, a Sussex University student, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, was on his first day as a casual worker for the shipping firm.
Miss Berringer said no staff at Euromin alerted her to the fact there was a stop valve located on the side of the excavator.
Photographs also revealed that vision between the hold and crane was obscured by a conveyor belt system.
‘It actually overhangs the inside of the hold,’ added Miss Berringer.
Euromin, together with its general manager Richard Martell, are charged with his killing.
The prosecution claim the company, under the instructions of its manager, put their workers lives at risk after ignoring several health and safety measures.
It is thought the operator, known for his baggy clothing, accidentally nudged the lever which shuts the claw.
As Mr Jones began work in the depths of the ship’s hold he encountered problems with the crane’s arm which was coming down too low.
‘This meant that the jaws of the grab were coming closer to the heads of Simon and Sean,’ said prosecuting QC Patrick Mr O’Connor.
‘They had to reach up and hook the bags of loose aggregate onto chains suspended from the crane’s arm – it was almost certainly the last action of Simon’s life.
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Martell, of Jubilee House, Aldingbourne Drive, Crocker Hill, Chichester, West Sussex, denies a single charge of manslaughter.
Dutch-owned Euromin Ltd, of the Glassmill, (1) Battersea Bridge Road, Battersea, southwest London denies manslaughter and six charges under Health and Safety regulations.
The trial continues.
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