The incident prompted a long investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which found that Konecranes UK did not properly prepare for the job.
A crane had been moving a girder from one side of the warehouse to the other when a sling broke. This was because the wrong equipment had been used, the HSE said.
Konecranes UK pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 8(1)(c) of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), 1998.
Following the ruling, HSE Inspector Andrew Woodhall, said, “This was an entirely preventable incident with the real potential to cause serious injury or even death.
“That Konecranes UK ignored the legal requirement for lifting operations to be planned properly and carried out in a safe manner is unacceptable.
“The Konecranes UK operatives had no advance warning of the failure of the slings and as it happened they had a narrow and lucky escape.
“Fortunately, no-one was hurt on this occasion but this alarming incident should act as a reminder to others that standards need to be maintained to ensure the safety of workers at all times.”
Konecranes UK will pay £8,000 in fines and £7,539 in repair and replacement costs.
