Bob, a builder, requires a crane for a project renovating a warehouse. On 1 January Bob approaches Wendy who has a crane hire company. Bob explains that he needs a crane capable of lifting five tonnes. Wendy recommends the Lofty 2 model. She explains to Bob that she has only recently taken over the crane hire business from her father. She recommends that Bob should confirm the lifting capacity of the Lofty 2 with her father and in the crane’s manual which she gives to Bob. Bob takes the manual away but does not read it and he does not consult Wendy’s father. If he had read the manual, he would have seen that the stated lifting capacity of the Lofty 2 crane is five tonnes.
On 1 February Wendy receives an email from the manufacturer of the Lofty 2 crane pointing out that the lifting capacity is misstated in the crane’s manual and that it is three, not five, tonnes. Wendy remembers her conversation with Bob but thinks he no longer wants to hire the crane.
On 1 March Bob hires the Lofty 2 crane from Wendy for a month for £5,000. On 5 March Bob uses the crane to lift a concrete beam weighing four tonnes. The crane arm breaks, and the beam drops onto Bob’s Rolls Royce car. Bob’s wife is furious as she has told him many times that he should not take his car onto the building site. As a result of the accident, Bob gets a bad reputation and is not considered for the job of renovating the next warehouse
Advise bob
