Construction Company Fined After Member of Public Walked Onto Site and Drowned

A Glasgow based construction company has been fined after the death of an 83-year old man in Kirkcaldy.

Kirkcaldy Sherriff Court heard that in early January 2015 an elderly gentleman who suffered from a number of age-related illnesses walked onto the construction site which was closed for the holidays.

While on the site operated by Sandford Park Ltd he fell into a flooded excavation and died from drowning.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Sandford Park Ltd failed to install the appropriate level of fencing around the site to prevent members of the public including vulnerable adults and children from accessing the construction site.

Sandford Park Ltd of St Vincent Street, Glasgow has today pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 22(1) (l) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, and the company has today been fined £110,000.

Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Gillian Anderson said: “This tragic incident could have been prevented, had the company installed a continuous fence around the site.”