Derek Caddie lost his life when part of the excavation wall collapsed onto him on 25th November 2019.
The 44-year-old became trapped in soil from the neck down before being rescued by the emergency services. However, he died from his injuries in hospital three days later on 28th November.
Carrig Construction Services Limited had been appointed as a contractor at the site on Belhaven Terrace West Lane where new houses were being built.
Mr Caddie was working under the company’s control at the time of the incident. He had entered the excavation with a colleague to repair damaged and leaking pipework, when the incident occurred. His colleague was uninjured.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found the collapse was caused by a lack of support to the vertical walls of the excavation. Carrig Construction Services, which specialises in groundworks and drainage works, failed to identify the risks from working in the excavation and did not ensure that there were practicable steps in place to ensure workers were protected while inside the excavation.
On top of this, none of the workers under the control of Carrig Construction Services had had any formal training on working within excavations and were unaware of the risks involved.
Carrig Construction Services Limited, of Hunters Way, Lochwinnoch, Argyll, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £75,000 at Glasgow Sheriff Court on 28th August 2024.
HSE principal inspector Graeme McMinn said: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable accident, caused by the failure of Carrig Construction Services Limited to put in place measures to control the risk of the sides of the excavation collapsing.”
