Worker dies as dumper truck somersaults do bank.
This post has already been read 2696 times!
Another needless death in the construction industry but even the fine goes unpaid as the company has been liquidated.
A £60,000 fine imposed on an Armoy construction firm, arising out of the death of a workman in May 2008, will not be paid because it has gone bust.
Colin Glass, 53, died when his dumper truck somersaulted down a steep incline at a building site in Bushmills.
The former director of Drumdollagh Construction Company, Sean Christie, pleaded guilty to three breaches of health and safety regulations.
A charge of corporate manslaughter was one of four left on the books.
Antrim Crown Court was told there was a lack of safety measures on the site, in particular no edge warnings or protection on the steep bank.
A Health and Safety Executive investigation also found that the truck was defective – a brake was not working, the clutch was faulty and a lap belt was missing.
It was not the first time the company had breached health and safety regulations – it had three stop notices served on it two years before the accident.
Mr Glass’ widow Doreen said she was satisfied that the case was now over as it helped to bring closure for her and her family.
However, she added: “I feel like, because it’s went into liquidation, the company, that Colin’s lost his life for very little.
“I just wouldn’t like any other women coming through what I’ve come through.”
A defence lawyer said it was not a case of “cowboy builder mentality”, that Drumdollagh had health and safety strategies but they were not enforced on the ground.
Imposing the fine, Antrim Crown Court Judge Corinne Philpott acknowledged it would not be paid, but said it was important that the case be marked as a reminder to other companies to ensure the safety of their workforce.
Drumdollagh was placed into administration by Ulster Bank in 2009.
The company owed the bank more than £2m as well as another £400,000 to unsecured creditors.
At the time the firm went bust it had two small housing sites in Loughgiel and Armoy.
It makes you wonder what powers are actually held over construction companies and if it is worth perusing them once they have gone under.
