Crane crash could have killed more

The crane collapse at a West Sussex site that left two Willmott Dixon site workers dead and another seriously injured could easily have claimed far more lives.

Gary Miles, from Crowthorne, and Steven Boatman, from Reading, were killed when a 30m crane fell at a site 135m from Durrington High School in Worthing on Friday. A third, as yet unnamed worker, understood to be a crane driver, remains stable in hospital with serious head injuries.

Miles and Boatman were dismantling the two cranes, used in the construction of the £10m school for 240 children with special needs, when one crane fell and crashed into a neighbouring one that remained standing.

But CJ has learnt that many more site staff could have been killed. Fortunately, they were taking a refreshment break in the site canteen when the crane
fell over.

One industry source has questioned whether Willmott Dixon should have been dismantling a crane while workers were still on site.

But a Health & Safety Executive (HSE) spokeswoman said she was unable to comment until inspectors had completed their investigation.

She confirmed that the incident is just the third fatal crane collapse in the past 25 years – the first was in San Francisco, USA, in 1989; the second at Canary Wharf on 21 May 2000, which claimed three lives.

However, according to the unions, if the Canary Wharf case is anything to go by, full details of what happened are not expected to be known for several years.

Jerry Swain, UCATT regional secretary for London and the South East, said: “We are still waiting for the results of the inquiry into that accident five years later. We simply can’t afford to wait another five years for a report that may have contained recommendations that would have contributed to saving lives today.”

Following a controlled demolition of the remaining crane by Barking-based demolition firm Squibb & Davies on Sunday evening, the pieces will now be taken to the HSE’s laboratory in Buxton where its technical team will carry out further tests.

Of the fatalities, Willmott Dixon chief executive Rick Wilmott said: “It is a heartfelt loss. We are deeply saddened and we pass on every condolence to the families concerned.”

Willmott Dixon said the remaining debris from the crane will be cleared by the end of the week.