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BAM Nuttall fined £700k for dumper death

11 Jun 21 BAM Nuttall has been fined £700,000 after an employee was run over by a dumper vehicle five years ago..

The incident happened at Blackhillock Quarry in 2016
The incident happened at Blackhillock Quarry in 2016

John Cameron, 61, died after he was struck by a dumper at Blackhillock Quarry in Keith, Scotland in 2016. He was working on the construction of an electricity substation there.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard that on 28th October 2016 John Cameron was changing over a blade on a piece of work equipment at the side of a roadway when he was run over by a six-tonne dumper truck. He sustained serious pelvic injuries and died as a result.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that BAM Nuttall had failed to adequately assess the risks to their employees while repairing and replacing equipment. They failed to provide a system of work in relation to this task which defined a place or places where such work could be carried out safely and which segregated people from vehicles.

BAM Nuttall Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2 and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £700,000.

HSE inspector Penny Falconer said after the hearing: “This tragic incident led to the avoidable death of a man. This death could easily have been prevented if his employer had acted to identify and manage the risks involved, and to put a safe system of work in place.”

BAM Nuttall no longer allows forward-tipping site dumpers to be operated on its construction sites and has been at the forefront of industry intitiatives to make the machines less dangerous.

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