September 30, 2025
Mersey Docks and Harbour Board v Coggins & Griffith (Liverpool) Ltd [1946] UKHL 1
A harbour board loaned a crane and driver to stevedores. The driver's negligence caused an injury. The House of Lords held the board, as the general permanent employer, remained liable, establishing a strong presumption that responsibility for a loaned employee is not easily transferred. Facts The appellants, Mersey Docks and Harbour Board, owned a number of mobile cranes which they hired out with a driver. The driver was an employee of the Board, paid and subject to dismissal by them. The Board hired a crane and a driver, Mr Newall, to the respondents, Coggins & Griffith (Liverpool) Ltd, a firm
