An access plant hire firm manager has been prosecuted after one man died and another was seriously injured when a crane collapsed in Glasgow city centre.

Donald Craig, 57, manager at Craig Services & Access Limited, was found guilty of a breach of health and safety legislation after a 16-day trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court. He was sentenced to a maximum of two years imprisonment.

The court heard how Gary Currie, a safety net rigger, and Alexander Nisbet, a self-employed operator contracted by Craig Services, were in the basket of a platform removing netting from the facade of the Buchanan House office block at Port Dundas Road on 20 June 2012.

During the work, the third main boom section buckled and caused the platform's basket to fall 92 feet to the ground. Alexander Nisbet was seriously injured while Gary Currie suffered fatal injuries.

Hamilton-based Craig Services was also found guilty of three charges relating to the collapse of a mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) and failures in relation to its maintenance and use. The company was fined a total of £61,000.


Another company, J M Access Solutions Ltd, was prosecuted for its failure to carry out a systematic and detailed thorough examination of the platform and its safety-critical parts. It was fined £30,000.

The prosecutions relate to an earlier incident in May 2011 involving the MEWP, after which Craig Services & Access had instructed a repair to the damaged section of the main boom. The repair had been incorrectly carried out and J M Access Solutions failed in its duty to carry out an adequate thorough examination of the platform.

Gary Aitken, Head of Health and Safety Division said: "This incident, which resulted in the death of Gary Currie and caused serious injury to Alexander Nisbet, could have been avoided had Donald Craig and Craig Services & Access Limited heeded advice and taken measures to maintain the platform in a safe condition.

"At the centre of this all was the decision to instruct this repair. It was a decision that left Gary Currie and Alexander Nisbet exposed to an unacceptable risk and was essentially an accident waiting to happen.

"A MEWP is a safety critical piece of equipment and it was highly foreseeable that such a repair would risk the lives of those using the equipment. This incident has left family and friends devastated at the loss of a loved one."

Principal Inspector at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Graeme McMinn, added: "The death of Gary Currie was entirely preventable. Craig Services and Access Ltd and Donald Craig were advised by the manufacturer to replace the damaged boom. Instead, they chose a much cheaper repair that left the boom in an unsafe condition.

"This tragic accident should highlight the absolute duty for owners of MEWPS to maintain them to ensure continued safe operation."

(LM/MH)