A Scottish asbestos surveyance firm has been fined £80,000 following the death of a worker who was killed on the job.
Christopher Earley was carrying out an asbestos inspection at a disused fabrication facility at a port north of Inverness. At site, he opened an electrical cabinet to check for asbestos insulation or lining and was struck by a high-voltage arc of electricity. The shock was so signficant that he suffered burns all over his body.
He was rushed to hospital and treated extensively, but he died three months after the electric shock. Following his death, the Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation which found the port operator,
The Health and Safety Executive launched an investigation, and Global Energy Nigg Limited, which operates the port, has been held responsible for his death.
It was heard in the trial, held at Tain Sheriff Court, that Global Energy Nigg had failed to maintain the switch room properly, which had no internal door and no visual warning signs. There were also no signs or safety warnings on the switch panels, and the cabinet was not marked as having a live current.
Debbie Carroll, who is the for health and safety investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, welcomed the prosecution. She said: “Christopher Wayne Earley lost his life in circumstances which were foreseeable and entirely avoidable.
“By failing to maintain the switch room in an appropriate condition, Global Energy Nigg Limited put someone not employed by them at unacceptable risk. This prosecution should remind duty holders that failing to take reasonable health and safety measures can have fatal consequences, and they will be held accountable for this failure.”