BAM Nuttall fined after worker crushed to death in Shetland

BAM Nuttall fined after worker crushed to death in Shetland

Liam Macdonald family Liam is smiling. A friend's arm is around his shoulder.Liam Macdonald family
Liam Macdonald, from the Highlands, was killed in work accident in Shetland

A civil engineering company has been fined £860,000 after an employee was crushed to death at a wind farm construction site.

Liam Macdonald, from the Tain area in the Highlands, was working for BAM Nuttall near Lerwick in Shetland in June 2022 when he died.

The 23-year-old was cleaning concrete from a skip with a hammer when he was crushed by a large piece of equipment.

The firm admitted breaching safety regulations at Inverness Sheriff Court earlier this month and was fined at Lerwick Sheriff Court.

Three corrugated metal-walled buildings dominate the site. There is a yard with construction vehicles, including a tipper truck and excavators.

The accident happened at a construction site in June 2022

The fine was reduced from £1.2m due to the timing of the company’s plea.

BAM Nuttall said it had apologised to Mr Macdonald’s family, and offered its sincere condolences.

Emergency services were called to the Viking Energy wind farm sites at Upper Kergord, 15 miles (24km) north of Lerwick, at about 10:15 on Sunday 5 June 2022.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard how Mr Macdonald had been asked to clean the skip that morning, but shortly after workers spotted him “motionless’ inside with part of the skip called a bale arm pinning his chest.

Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and an on-site defibrillator did not administer any charge.

Procurator fiscal Catherine Fraser said the bale arm should have been secured in a fixed position.

She said despite there being a “real risk” associated with the skip, there was not a suitable system in place for cleaning it out.

Defending BAM Nuttall, solicitor Murdo Macleod said it was “very much a one-off” incident and steps had been taken to ensure it could not happen again.

Outside court, a company spokesperson said: “We strive every day to ensure that all our staff work in a safe environment and we deeply regret that we failed Liam in June 2022.

“Safety is our priority and we are always reviewing our procedures and making continuous improvements.

“Immediately after Liam’s death we took steps to ensure that this incident would not be repeated, and we will continue to build on this learning going forward.

“We have made improvements to our processes, our safe systems of work and the equipment we use on all of our sites and reviewed our training to ensure that staff are aware of the risks involved in their work.”

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