Companies fined £300,000 for worker's death on motorway

Date:

29 July 2011

A roadworker died of his injuries after falling 12 metres while working over the M5 motorway near Clevedon, a court heard today.

Cecil Grant, 42, from Southmead, Bristol, was repairing CCTV cameras used to monitor one lane of the motorway during the night of 24 January 2006, when he fell off a wall into bushes below, suffering serious injuries. He was taken to hospital and died of his injuries ten days later.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Mr Grant's employers Serco Ltd, of Bartley Wood Business Park, Hook, Hampshire, and principal contractor, Birse Civils Ltd of Grimstone Grane, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, for failing to protect Mr Grant when he was working at the site near Junction 20 Northbound, between Clevedon and Gordano.

Bristol Crown Court heard Serco Ltd did not plan, manage and monitor the work properly, meaning Mr Grant was not warned about the drop. Both companies had also failed to cooperate with each other to make sure workers at the site were not put in danger.

HSE inspector, Steve Frain, said:

"There were major failings in the way this work was planned which sadly resulted in Mr Grant's tragic death.

"When employees are working at height, proper plans must be put in place and workers made aware of possible risks.

"In this case, Mr Grant had not been made aware of the dangerous drop where he was working. If he had been, a tragic incident could easily have been avoided."

Serco Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Regulation 11(i)(a) Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It was fined a total of £200,000 (£100,000 on each charge) and ordered to pay costs of £36,186

Birse Civils Ltd, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(i)(a) Management of Health & Safety at Work Regs 1999. It was fined £100,000 with costs of £180,093

More information about working at height can be found on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/index.htm

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. Regulation 4(1)Work at Height Regulations 2005 states work at height should be properly planned, supervised and carried out in a manner that is in fact safe.
3. Regulation 11(i)(a) Management of Health & Safety at Work Regs 1999 state that employers should co operate where they share a workplace.

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR (South West)