Crane death pushes Corus penalties over 2 million pounds--Steelmaker failed to check safety-critical limit switch

摘要

STEELMAKER Corus has been fined 170,000 pounds over the death of an employee who was struck by a load falling from a crane. The group has been fined a total of more that 2 million pounds for safety breaches since 2000. The latest case involved the death of Shane Eastwood on 2 July 2003 at the firm's Brinsworth site in Rotherham. Eastwood had been working underneath the crane when he was hit by a260kg loading hookfalling from a height of seven metres. An HSE investigation revealed that the crane's limit switch-which prevents loads being lifted too high - was faulty. This allowed the hoist rope over-tighten and snap. The fault may have been present for weeks or months.