Contractor fined after worker crushed to death on site

A construction company has been fined after a kitchen fitter was crushed to death by concrete blocks at a site in Gloucestershire.

Martin Dunford, 33, was killed on 23 January 2020 while working on a Piper Homes Construction Ltd housing development at Ebrington Rise, near Chipping Campden.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that a stack of concrete blocks that had been placed on top of another stack of blocks, which was also supported by a wooden pallet, fell onto Dunford and pinned him against the side of a lorry loader.

Dunford had walked around the vehicle to talk to a driver, the HSE added in a 29 April statement.

He sustained severe internal and head injuries and died on site, the health and safety watchdog said.

Nottingham-based Piper Homes, the main contractor on the job, “had failed to ensure that a suitable, level storage area was provided for the safe offloading of construction materials”, the HSE said.

It added that the firm also failed to ensure that wooden pallets in a suitable condition were used for the storage of construction materials and that persons were excluded from delivery areas, it added.

Piper Homes pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015, according to the HSE statement.

The firm, which has been in liquidation since April last year, was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £5,236 in costs at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on 29 April.

Dunford’s sister Tracey Hunter said in a statement that her brother’s life “was unjustly cut short”.

She added: “Little did he know on that date that he was going to work on a site that had ongoing issues and was not following HSE guidelines for working safely on a construction site.

“Martin was very much loved by his family and friends. He is missed every day and nothing can ever fill the hole that is left by him no longer being here.”

HSE inspector James Lucas described the incident as “entirely avoidable”.

He added: “Storage of construction materials should be properly planned and managed, to ensure that if materials are stored at height the necessary measures are in place to prevent them from falling and potentially injuring persons.

“Storage areas should be level and accessories such as wooden pallets should be regularly inspected to ensure that they are in suitable condition to be used to store materials.

“Had this been done on this particular site, Martin would have returned home safely to his family.”