A building company has been fined £1.6m over the death of a young man who was crushed to death.
The parents of Jack Phillips, 24, say their life has changed forever by the fatal accident a South Cliff Tower in Eastbourne.
More than five years after his death in August 2019, his employers Brand Energy and Infrastructure Services UK Ltd appeared at court to be sentenced.
They had pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company, a provider of temporary access equipment, had failed to properly plan the lifting operation of the work platform or identify a requirement for safe exclusion zones.
It also failed to have a suitable robust system in place to ensure all accessories had been thoroughly examined or disposed when expired. This resulted in out-of-date slings being used.
Jack had been assisting while temporary mast climber work platform sections were being lifted by a lorry mounted crane.
The load fell on top of Jack when the lifting sling which was attached to the crane snapped.
Jack’s parents, Scot and Nichola, said in a statement: “How do you put into words the utter devastation you feel. Our child, our only son, is dead.
“Our life, our family’s life has now changed forever. We are no longer complete without Jack, we will never see our baby boy, the boy we nurtured and helped grow into a young man, get married, raise a family, or grow old.
“His sisters will never have the honour of him being an uncle to their children. We will never have the honour of seeing or meeting his children.
“Jack was a happy go lucky Jack the lad. Everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him, loved him.”
The company was fined £1,600,000 and ordered to pay £23,193.60 in costs at Brighton Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Health and Safety Executive principal inspector Ross Carter said: “This tragic incident led to the wholly avoidable death of a young man. This death could so easily have been prevented if Jack’s employer had fulfilled its statutory duty to plan and manage the risks associated with lifting equipment and lifting operations.
“Brand Energy and Infrastructure Services UK Ltd failed in its duty of care to all its operatives, including Jack, in the way it planned and implemented the lifting operations and the slack customs and practices it allowed to become part of the safety culture with regard to lifting.”
This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Alan Hughes and supported by HSE paralegal officer Helen Jacob.
