Worker was crushed by five-tonne section of crane

A POLISH worker was killed when a five-tonne section of a crane crashed down on top of him as he was dismantling it, a health and safety inspector stated in court yesterday.

Pouladuff Dismantlers, a scrap metal company, were contracted to dismantle a fire-damaged crane at Forge Hill, Cork, on April 10 2010, when the fatal accident occurred.

The company was before Cork District Court yesterday on a charge of failing to prepare a written risk assessment of the job.

The Health and Safety Authority was prepared to deal with the case at Cork District Court. The single charge against Pouladuff Dismantlers was one of failing to prepare a written risk assessment before undertaking the job.

Judge Leo Malone refused to accept jurisdiction to deal with the case at district court level and, after hearing an outline of the allegations in the case, he put the matter back to allow time for the preparation of a book of evidence.

The prosecution will now be taken over by the DPP and the matter will be heard eventually at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Mark Rowlands, a Health and Safety Authority inspector, testified: “On the date of the accident, Pouladuff Dismantlers Ltd had been contracted to dispose of the crane. They are scrap metal dealers. A large section of the machine fell on him [Edward Pajaczek, who was in his mid-40s] as he was dismantling it.”

The piece that fell on Mr Pajaczek, killing him instantly, was the five-tonne counterbalancing weight that was attached to the crane.

Mr Rowlands said that the company had not prepared a written risk assessment.