Contractor fined after fatal accident at quarry
A quarrying and construction company, FP McCann Limited, has been fined £110,000 following the death of a subcontractor at their site. The firm pleaded guilty to a single health and safety offence and was fined at Antrim Crown Court on Friday.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) launched an investigation after William Houston died due to injuries sustained when a large stone fell on him at FP McCann's Loughside Quarry in Larne, County Antrim, on 23 April 2023.
Details of the incident involving William Houston
On the day of the incident, William Houston was operating a dumper truck, tasked with removing stone from the cone crushing plant and depositing it into stockpiles. Around lunchtime, a blockage was reported at the cone crushing plant caused by a large stone estimated to weigh approximately seven stones (45kg).
The plant was subsequently isolated to address the blockage. The stone causing the obstruction was manually removed from the crusher and carried to a raised conveyor catwalk approximately 15 feet (4.5 meters) above ground level. While being transported on the catwalk, the stone fell through the railings and struck William Houston as he was walking below. He was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.
HSENI response and safety recommendations
Sophie Pearson from HSENI described the event as a "tragic incident."
"Employers must take adequate measures to prevent materials or objects falling from height,"
"They must stop and consider what risks are involved in the task and take the necessary action, so that harm does not occur to employees or as in this tragic incident, to someone like Mr Houston who was subcontracted to work at the site,"
Pearson emphasized that if preventing a falling object is not feasible, a straightforward measure such as establishing an exclusion zone should be implemented to protect workers and others on site.
"A simple solution such as an exclusion zone" should be implemented if a falling object is not preventable.
