THE BOSS of a heavy engineering firm faces the prospect of jail after he was convicted today (Friday, May 17) of the manslaughter of a worker who was hit by a metal roof beam.

Allan Turnbull was found guilty by a jury following a four-week trial over the death of 53-year-old Kenneth Joyce from Lanchester, County Durham.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the demolition worker fell 30ft after the hydraulic platform he was using was hit by a falling girder - before a second beam fell on him.

Mr Joyce had been dismantling a building at the Swan Hunter shipyard in Wallsend, near Newcastle, on December 2, 2008, when the accident happened.

A post mortem found he died from head and neck injuries.

Turnbull, 61, of Inkerman, Tow Law, County Durham, who owns A&H Boring and Machining, had been contracted by North Eastern Marine Offshore Contracts (NEMOC) based at Yarm to carry out the work. He employed Mr Joyce.

The court was told Mr Joyce, along with Tony Billington, had removed steel bolts between two 14-tonne plate girders that were part of the roof of a building known as the Burning Hall.

Stanley Woods was in the process of lowering the cross beam using a crane when it appears the plate girders became unstable.

One of the girders fell and knocked over the hydraulic platform, throwing Mr Joyce to the ground.

The other girder twisted and fell, knocking the 250kg beam free from the crane where it landed on Mr Joyce, fatally injuring him.

The court was told the death of Mr Joyce could have been avoided if a safe system of work had been established and followed.

Turnbull had denied manslaughter by gross negligence.

NEMOC entered not guilty pleas to two charges of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety Act, but was convicted.

Christopher Taylor, 52, of Kingswood Avenue, Jesmond, Newcastle, a director of NEMOC, also denied two charges of failing to discharge a duty under the act. He, too, was convicted.

Adjourning the case to Tuesday for sentencing, Judge Paul Sloan QC said to Turnbull: “You must understand that a custodial sentence is clearly available in the circumstances of this case.”

Bail was extended.