Dubai: Five men were sentenced to three months in jail each for causing a worker’s death whose skull was smashed after a weakly-maintained forklift’s arm fell on him at the Pearl Jumeirah Island.

The Dubai Misdemeanour Court convicted the five defendants, a Canadian project manager, a Syrian workers’ supervisor, his compatriot project manager and site engineer, an Indian forklift operator and his compatriot safety officer, of negligence and failing to apply precautionary measures.

Prosecutors accused the defendants of failing to maintain the forklift properly and not producing a safety certificate for the equipment from the Dubai Municipality.

According to the accusation sheet, prosecutors also accused the five defendants of labour negligence and being responsible for the accident by allowing the 32-year-old Bangladeshi worker in a danger zone [under the arm of the weakly-maintained forklift].

Records said the arm broke and fell on the worker.

Blood money

According to Monday’s judgment, the court fined each of the defendants Dh2,000 and ordered them to jointly pay Dh200,000 in blood money to the victim’s family. The defendants entered a not guilty plea when they appeared before the Misdemeanour Court. They disclaimed any responsibility or negligence from their side and alleged that the worker was responsible for his death.

According to records, the Syrian supervisor alleged that he had been assigned along with other workers, including the victim, to demolish the project site on Pearl Jumeirah Island.

The accident occurred while the forklift operator connected two iron bars, 23 metres long and weighing 10 tonnes, to the forklift’s arm and dug them in the ground to do the demolition job.

The victim was checking the demolished spots and recording measurements when the metal cables that carried the iron bars snapped and the forklift arm broke, according to records.

The arm fell on the worker’s head and he died on the spot.

The forklift operator claimed during police questioning that the metal cable had snapped from the main pulley before the arm broke and fell on the victim.

The supervisor claimed that when the cables had snapped, it produced a loud noise which surprised the victim, who could not run to safety.

Monday’s judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.