Construction worker killed in crane accident while looking for water, Dubai court hears

The accident happened at a Jebel Ali site that lacked warning signs and safety training, municipality inspector finds

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A construction worker was crushed to death while on his way to take a drink from a water cooler, Dubai Court of Misdemeanours has heard.

The accident happened as the man, whose nationality is not known, walked directly behind a crane just as the driver was reversing.

Despite warning shouts from the site's supervisor, the victim was crushed between the crane and a stack of timber.

The Pakistani driver, site supervisor and project manager were all later charged with causing accidental death.

“I was standing in front of the crane to direct the driver when I saw the worker and screamed at him and the driver," the Egyptian supervisor told the court.

"But neither one of them heard. When the driver stopped we both rushed to the worker who was still alive and talking."

Court documents revealed that the accident happened on November 12 last year at a build in Jebel Ali.

A Dubai Municipality inspector’s report found the site lacked sufficient warning signs and that no precautionary measures had been taken to alert workers who were crossing dangerous areas.

The inspector said: “I came to the conclusion that the driver was at not at fault because it would have been impossible to see the worker from his location.

"The supervisor was also not at fault but the manager should be held responsible for not assigning a worker to guard the more dangerous areas."

The court found the project manager guilty of causing accidental death and sentenced him to suspended six month prison term as well as fining him Dh10,000 and ordering him to pay Dh200,000 in blood money.

His lawyer, however, Mohammed Al Mansouri, claimed the investigation into the tragedy was flawed.

“If it was anyone's mistake it was the victim's," he said.

"He knew the site provided cold water and was told of the safest route to it, but he ignored that."