I saw that yet another Scottish firm has been fined over the death of a worker.  Whiteinch Demolition Ltd who are based in Bishopbriggs pled guilty to Health and Safety breaches at Glasgow Sheriff Court after Bernard McCarroll died whilst dismantling a hydraulic excavator at the company’s yard in Glasgow.

The machinery that he was using weighed 7 tonnes and had a weight at the rear to assist in stabilising it.  However whilst flame cutting the bolts that held this weight to the frame of the machine, part of it fell onto him.  He sadly suffered fatal injuries.

The Health and Safety Executive’s investigation discovered that the company hadn’t  properly risk assessed or planned the dismantling operation.  Little information and guidance was given to staff to safely carry out the dangerous work and there wasn’t a system in place to make sure that the work was done safely.

These stories really shock me.  The fact we still see employers completely ignore health and safety legislation is just not right. There is no excuse for this complete disregard for the safety of workers.  It’s a good job that Solicitors like Thompsons are there to take on those who are responsible for workplace injuries and get the victims the compensation they deserve to get their life back on track.