Sentence reduction for project manager blamed for worker's accidental death

A project manager who was found to be at fault for the death of a worker who was crushed by a crane while on his way to drink from a water cooler has had his sentence reduced.

The accident happened on November 12 last year at a building site in Jebel Ali. A man, whose nationality was not disclosed in records, walked directly behind a crane just as the driver was reversing.

Despite warning shouts from the site's supervisor, who was standing in front of the crane to direct the driver, the victim was crushed between the crane and a stack of timber.

The driver and the supervisor both rushed to aid the worker, who was still alive and talking, but he later died in hospital.

The Pakistani driver, site supervisor and project manager were all charged with causing accidental death, which they denied in court.

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 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."

Last February, Dubai Court of Misdemeanours sentenced the Egyptian manager, 29, to a suspended sentence of six months in prison, a fine of Dh10,000 and blood money of Dh200,000.

The Appeals Court has now reduced the sentence to a two-month suspended prison term and a suspended fine of Dh5,000. It ordered that he must, however, pay the Dh200,000 in blood money.

The two other defendants were found not guilty by both courts.