Court dismisses charges related to 2015 workplace accident in Raisio affecting 70,000 residents in Turku

A district court in Varsinais-Suomi has dismissed charges related to a workplace accident that occurred in Raisio in 2015. The accident took place at an expansion site of a car hall, where a crane was performing lifts near a high-voltage power line. The crane accidentally made contact with the line, causing an electric shock to a worker who was standing nearby on a securing cable. The incident also led to a significant power outage affecting up to 70,000 residents in the Turku area.

The prosecutor had sought a €45,000 fine against the construction company and penalties for four individuals related to the project for violations of occupational safety regulations. The project was overseen by a property management firm from Turku, which had hired a supervisor to maintain safety standards at the site. The main contractor was a construction company from Estonia.

A key point of contention was whether the site supervisor had neglected their duties regarding safety risks on the construction site. The court ruled against the charges leveled at both the supervisor and the main contractor, clarifying that the primary responsibility for safety in the construction project lay with the main contractor. It determined that the supervisor’s responsibility did not extend to the main contractor’s employees, and there were no significant deficiencies in the safety documents prepared by the supervisor. The original lifting plan was sufficient as it was designed to prevent the crane from reaching the power lines.

The court found insufficient evidence regarding the accountability of the main contractor’s representative and stated that the course of events was somewhat unclear. Consequently, it could not be concluded that any negligence stemmed from the actions of the main contractor’s representative. Charges of assault against the crane operator were also dismissed. The ruling is not yet final.