Major contractors to be prosecuted over Crossrail death

Bam, Ferrovial and Kier have been informed by the Health and Safety Executive that they will be prosecuted in relation to the death of a worker and two other incidents on Crossrail.

All three companies will appear at Westminster’s Magistrates Court next month to face four charges each. They are working together as part of the BFK consortium on Crossrail.

Two of the charges are relating to the death of Rene Tka’cik on the 7 March 2014 and one each relating to injuries to Terrence Hughes on the 16 January and Alex Vizitiu on 22 January 2015.

Tka’cik died after he was crushed by falling concrete while working on Crossrail’s Fisher Street cross-over tunnel in Holborn.

Hughes was working between the Bond Street and Paddington section of the tunnel when he was crushed by a tipper truck, suffering severe leg injuries.

Vizitiu was working in the same stretch of the tunnel. He suffered head and hip injuries when he was struck by a high pressure mixture of water and concrete during a routine operation to clean concrete lines.

HSE’s head of operations, Annette Hall, said: “We have today informed the three contractors that they will each be prosecuted for the death of a worker and injuries sustained by two others, in three separate incidents on the construction project.

“These were all serious incidents and resulted in the death of one of their workers.

“We have concluded following thorough investigations that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute and it is in the public interest to do so.”

A spokesperson for the BFK consortium said it was not able to comment at this stage.