Government angers crane disaster group

The Battersea Crane Disaster Action Group (BCDAG) has reacted angrily to the Government's rejection of a central crane register.

In its submission to the Work and Pensions Select Committee, BCDAG demanded a register to keep track of cranes, a detail it sees as essential to protect the safety of workers and the public.

However, in its response to the Select Committee, the Department of Work and Pensions said the government shares the concern about tower crane safety but does not consider a national register is the best way forward.

The response continued: 'There is an enormous range and quantity of plant used in the construction industry and it moves between sites frequently.

Establishment and maintenance of such a register, even if it were limited to tower cranes, would be burdensome and unlikely to have the desired effect on standards of safety.'

Liliana Alexa, secretary of the BCDAG and mother of Michael Alexa who died in the Battersea crane collapse of 2006, said: "How can the Government say that there's no need for a central register?

"When a crane collapsed in Forest Hill in December 2007, the HSE had to investigate to find out who owned the crane and how old it was."