FP McCann Ltd fined six-figure sum following death of man struck by 45kg stone at Loughside Quarry near Larne
Major Northern Ireland construction and building supply company FP McCann Ltd has been fined £110,000 after a man died from injuries he received in an incident at Loughside Quarry outside Larne.
Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), FP McCann Limited pleased guilty at Antrim Crown Court to a single health and safety offence.
The investigation followed the death of William Houston, a sub contractor working at FP McCann’s Loughside Quarry at 146 Belfast Road, Larne on April 23, 2023.
The court heard that on that day, Mr Houston had been assigned the task of driving a dumper truck, removing stone from the cone crushing plant and placing it into stockpiles.
At around lunchtime, the cone crusher plant had stopped and a blockage was reported. The plant was isolated and a large stone, weighing approximately 45kg, was observed to be causing the blockage. The stone was manually removed from the crusher and carried to a raised conveyor catwalk, approximately 15ft from ground level.
During this move, the stone fell through the railings of the raised conveyor catwalk as Mr Houston was walking below. He was struck by the falling stone and passed away later in hospital due to injuries sustained.
In a statement, the HSENI said prosecutors in the PPS’s Fraud & Departmental Section worked closely with HSENI to build ‘a robust prosecution case’.
Speaking after the court hearing on Friday, March 13, Sophie Pearson, an inspector within HSENI’s Major Investigation Team, described the incident as “tragic”.
"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,” she said.
"Where it is not reasonably practicable to prevent objects from falling, employers should take suitable and sufficient measures to ensure that nobody can be injured. A simple solution such as an exclusion zone can be easily implemented to reduce the risk to workers.”