WA crane company found guilty over death of worker

A Western Australian hoist and crane company has been found guilty of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing the death of a worker.

Two directors of the company were also found guilty of breaching a section of the Occupational Safety and Health Act dealing with offences that occur with the consent or connivance of a director or are attributable to the neglect of the director.

D & G Hoists & Cranes and directors David Patrick Majella Keating and Luigi Vincenzo Decesare were found guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court.

In October 2007, a 22-year-old rigger suffered a fatal head injury after being struck by a 375 kg section of crane mast that fell out of a pack of 16 sections being moved by a crane.

The Magistrate is expected to hand down the penalty in February 2011.