Mechanical failure and high wind caused Liverpool crane collapse

Mechanical failure and high winds caused the fatal collapse of a Falcon Crane Hire tower crane in Liverpool, an inquest has heard.

A Liverpool coroner heard today how a Polish construction worker died when the crane toppled over on a building site in the city in January 2007.

Father-of-two Zbigniew Swirzynski died on the site in Seel Street, when he was crushed by a huge concrete block counterweight that plunged to the ground.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the collapse of the crane was caused when a steel rope jumped off a pulley wheel despite it being fitted with a safety bar.

An inspector told Liverpool Coroner's Court how the 39m high crane was lifting a light load on 15th January when a short gust of wind blew back the lifting jib of the crane.

This action caused the 18mm steel rope on the Spanish-built machine, belonging to Norfolk-based Falcon Cranes, to come off a pully and become tangled.

The court heard that the six-year-old crane was also fitted with an alarm set to sound if there was a gust of wind above the safe operating level of 70km/h, lasting more than three seconds.

But several witnesses confirmed that no alarm sounded and inspectors concluded the gust must have been about 82km/h and lasted only one second.

Crane driver, Barry Walker, was unaware of the tangled rope and when he tried to lower the crane the six tonne steel jib collapsed to the ground.

As the jib broke loose the crane became immediately unbalanced and the entire tower was pulled over sending five two-and-a-half tonne concrete counterweights to the ground.

The crane driver escaped serious injury but one of these five concrete counterweight slabs hit labourer Mr Swirzynski, killing him instantly.

The court was told that the HSE carried out a full investigation into the cause of the crane collapse.

HSE Principal Specialist Inspector Geoff Frackelton showed the jury a computer-animated reconstruction of the incident.

Mr Frackleton said: "We have found evidence that the rope had come out of its pulley and become tangled, which put enormous pressure on the jib.

"Each crane is fitted with an annometer which reads windspeeds and sounds an alarm if subjected to high gusts for more than three seconds.

"Three experts have concluded that the crane is likely to have been hit with a gust of wind ten kilometres per hour above its limit, but only for a second.

"This would not sound an alarm to alert the driver and we have six eye witnesses who all state that they never heard an alarm.

"It is this gust of wind that pushed the crane jib, which was in a near vertical position too far back, forcing the rope out of its pulley.

"All cranes have to meet European Safety Standards which have a clause that states a safety bar is positioned across the pulleys to prevent the ropes coming loose.

"We found the crane satisfied all the standards for its use in this country.

"This was the proper crane for the job, properly set-up and correctly used according to the European Standards."

Mr Frackleton said that attention had focussed on the provisions regarding the pulley and and safety bar designed to keep the rope in place.

He added: "On this crane the safety measures included a bar which left a four millimetre gap between the pulley and the bar.

"In exceptional circumstances the rope can become so taught that it can flatten-out and would fit through this gap.

"These cranes are still being sold and still being used with no changes to the safety standards.

"We can't control the wind and if it has happened once it can happen again."

Home Office pathologist Dr Christopher Johnson said the victim died from multiple external and internal injuries.

Dr Johnston said: "This man died from severe and extensive crushing injuries.

Death would have been instantaneous. Mr Swirzynski would not have known anything about this event."

The coroner's jury of four women and seven men returned an accidental death verdict.

Liverpool Coroner Andre Rebello said he is writing a letter to the responsible Government minister, under Section 43 of the Coroner's Rules, to alert him to the danger.

Mr Rebello said: "I will be writing to Lord McKenzie who is the Under-Parliamentary Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the safety standards of the crane.

"It is up to him to decide whether to raise this matter with the European safety authorities."

After the inquest dead man's wife, Katarzyna Swirzynski told how she left alone to look after their children Patrycja, 13, and Jan 5.

Katarzyna, 34, of Makowice, Poland, said: "I'm very angry with the outcome of this inquest.  It does not answer the question of who is to blame for my husband's death.

"We came to England to work and to feel safe but he has been taken away from me.

"We are left alone now with no-one to look after and support us and we don't know what will happen to us now."

Before the inquest a group from London had staged a vigil to draw attention to the two deaths claimed in September 2006 when a Falcon Cranes tower collapsed in Battersea.

The action group Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK) is campaigning for tighter safety restrictions on building sites.

FACK spokeswoman Hilda Palmer said: "The Government need to examine safety standards on these cranes very closely.

"The law needs to be strengthened and we hope the coroner's letter to Lord McKenzie will be taken up so that further tragedies can be prevented."