Crane jib collapses and crushes a people carrier at a site run by Deco Design & Build in Forest Hill

Ucatt is calling for an urgent inquiry following a crane collapse in south London yesterday.

crane collapse Forest Hill

The accident occurred at 10am on Tuesday morning in the Bird in Hand Passage, Forest Hill, at a site run by Bromley-based Deco Design & Build.

The jib of the crane which was in operation at the time collapsed and knocked over several concrete pillars and allegedly crushed a people carrier. Nobody was injured in the accident.

It is thought it collapsed due to metal fatigue and no workers or members of the public were injured in the accident.

Jerry Swain UCATT regional secretary for London and the South East, said: “Through sheer luck we are not talking about another fatality. The level of accidents involving cranes is so high that workers fear that there must be some kind of fundamental flaw in their operation or installation.”

Through sheer luck we are not talking about another fatality

Jerry Swain UCATT regional secretary

Since 2000 there have been eight deaths and 24 serious injuries as a result of crane accidents.

Swain added: “We must have a swift inquiry in order to establish whether the necessary inspections had been conducted on the crane and what went wrong.”

Deco Design & Build director Rob Copper was on site this morning with a Health and Safety Executive inspector.

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