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Scottish Coal fined £400k over deaths
 

SCOTTISH Coal was today fined £400,000 for safety failings that led to the deaths of two men.

A sheriff said he wanted to send a "clear and unambiguous" message to the firm about the seriousness of the offences.

Brian French, 48, and Colin Ferguson, 37, died in February last year when their vehicle was crushed by a giant tipper truck at the Pennyvenie open cast mine near Dalmellington in Ayrshire.

Last week at Ayr Sheriff Court, the company pled guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

It admitted allowing smaller vehicles to operate near larger trucks without warning systems to prevent collision.

It also admitted failing to provide the men with suitable means of communicating with drivers of other vehicles.

Sheriff John Montgomery today said there were safety rules in place at the mine. They would have prevented smaller vehicles like the one Mr French - from Kelloholm in Dumfries and Galloway - and Mr Ferguson from Prestwick, were in entering the loading zone until excavators and trucks were stationary.

He added: "It is apparent that despite there being site manager's rules for the movement of light vehicles within the site these were not enforced.

"Clearly, enforcing their own Site Manager Vehicles Rules, and having two-way radios available for all vehicles on site, would have been simple and relatively inexpensive ways of preventing this tragedy."

Sheriff Montgomery said the level of fine was not intended to represent the value of the lives that were lost.

And he added that any compensation claims could be dealt with by another court.

Publication date 26/08/08

Posted by: fredo, paisley on 12:59pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Shame on the courts they should have closed them down that would change there working practises
Posted by: thistlemad, Ayrshire on 1:10pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Yet another case where corporate manslaughter is the real culprit.
Until those at the TOP of the tree are actually imprisoned, too many people are going to die at work due to either the use of common-sense or the investment of LITERALLY a few quid on equipment.
Posted by: Helmut de Smegma, Glasgow on 1:35pm Tue 26 Aug 08
fredo wrote:
Shame on the courts they should have closed them down that would change there working practises
If they had been closed down there would have been no need to change their working practices.

Another clanger from our resident illiterate thicko,Fredo.
Posted by: Heidthebaw, Glasgow on 2:35pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Whilst this is a tragedy, the men who died should have known better too.

All too often I see folk on sites ignoring the rules.

Doubtless these men would have been site inducted and the rules were posted. Regardless of this, common sense would tell you to keep out the road of those giant vehicles.

Rushing to condemn the company involved is not always the answer.

Radios may have helped, but common sense would also have prevented this needless tragedy.

Posted by: fredo, paisley on 3:57pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Helmut de Smegma wrote:
fredo wrote: Shame on the courts they should have closed them down that would change there working practises
If they had been closed down there would have been no need to change their working practices. Another clanger from our resident illiterate thicko,Fredo.
made an example of stupid then the rest would change there practises and why is your name blow hard
Posted by: DavidJames, United States on 7:23pm Tue 26 Aug 08
Typical of big business, that thinks they are above the law. And while I agree that a bit of commonsense would have helped, the fact that bad working practices are not jumped on by management is partly at fault here.

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