Two died ‘because firm ignored safety’
Jan 9 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal
TWO men were electrocuted when safety rules were ignored by their employer, a court heard yesterday.
As the sixth anniversary of the death of North Tyneside men Fred Cook and John Crimmins approaches, legal proceedings against the company finally started yesterday at Teesside Crown Court.
Supervisor Mr Cook, 38, of Abbots Way, and colleague John Crimmins, 33, of Stonethwaite, both North Shields, were killed when 20,000 volts from overhead power lines surged through a lighting tower they were moving.
The pair, who were employed by Newcastle company Hatton Traffic Management, were working on resurfacing the A66 at Greta Bridge in County Durham, between Scotch Corner and Penrith, on January 16, 2002.
Yesterday the company denied two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The company is accused of failure to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risk to its employees and failure to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its workers, including Mr Cook and Mr Crimmins.
The prosecution is being brought by the Health and Safety Executive, which carried out a lengthy investigation.
Simon Jackson QC, prosecuting on behalf of the HSE, said a risk assessment by the firm’s operations manager Andrew Ross before work began failed to mention the presence of overhead power lines, even though seven sets crossed the stretch of road where they were working.
The lighting tower was being raised to illuminate the road to motorists to alert them of lane changes while the resurfacing work was being carried out. Mr Jackson said: “It was the responsibility of Mr Ross to prepare a proper risk assessment. It is the prosecution case that he should have identified the risk posed by the handling of tower lights near to overhead power lines.
“Nowhere did the defendant identify the risks associated with the operation of tower lights.
“A simple site visit before work began would have identified the presence of the overhead power lines. That should have been undertaken by Mr Ross.”
Mr Jackson went on to tell the jury that Mr Ross, who was responsible for health and safety at the company, had failed to assess the potential danger even after signing an order for two more lighting towers, and again failed to take action after a colleague warned him of the proximity of the towers to the overhead power lines. The court has been told the trial could last almost two weeks and a verdict is not expected until January 21 at the earliest.
Arrangements are being made for the jury to visit the site of the tragedy next week.
In March 2003, an inquest in Bishop Auckland recorded a verdict of accidental death on both men.
The case is continuing.
