Boyd Lamont, 55 and from Buckhaven, Fife, was fined £20,000 at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for breaches of workplace safety laws.
The charges concern the death of 32 year old Thomas Sturrock on 29 September 2008.
Mr Sturrock and a number of other men were employed by Boyd Lamont, a self-employed contractor then trading as Special Access Inspection. The men were working at height to clean the fragile roof of the warehouse of Tullis Russell Papermaker Ltd in Markinch, Fife. Boyd Lamont failed to properly assess the risks associated with the work, and failed to provide his men with appropriate safety equipment, such as crawling boards, so that they could work safely.
On 29 September 2008, Thomas Sturrock fell through the roof while walking on it. He fell 14.5m to the concrete floor below and died of his injuries at the scene.
Following a lengthy trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Boyd Lamont pled guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of his employees, in particular failing to ensure that they were not exposed to risks of injury or death by falling from or through the roof. He also pled guilty to failing to provide his employees with equipment, information, instruction, training and supervision or a safe system of work for employees carrying out such work at height, and failing to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of his employees arising from this work.
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