Tobermore Concrete Products fined for 'tragic and wholly preventable' death of employee
A major Northern Ireland concrete products manufacturing firm has been fined £160,000 following the death of an employee.
Tobermore Concrete Products Limited pleaded guilty at Londonderry Crown Court on Thursday to a single health and safety offence following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).
The inquiry followed the death of Colin Thomas, a production team leader employed at the company’s main production site at Lisnamuck Road, Tobermore on April 26, 2023.
A HSENI inspector has described the tragic incident as “wholly preventable”.
The investigation found that Mr Thomas was performing cleaning duties at the company’s HESS1 block manufacturing plant. At the time of the incident, he had entered a section of the production line known as the pit area. This area of the plant was located behind a perimeter fence fitted with an interlocked access gate.
Whilst Mr Thomas performed these cleaning activities, a horizontal latch conveyor designed to transfer product across the plant moved, trapping him between the moving conveyor and the fixed structure of the plant.
The investigation found that energy to the HESS 1 production line had not been properly isolated and locked out prior to the cleaning activity being undertaken.
Whilst access gates to the production line were fitted with safety interlocks, it was not clear to employees which particular sections of the plant were de-energised as a result of opening each interlocked gate.
Additional safety features such as safety light sensors, used to stop the movement of equipment, were not present on the production line in question. Such safety sensors were found to be present on other, similar production lines within the facility.
A statement issued by the HSENI said prosecutors in the PPS’s Fraud & Departmental Section “worked closely with the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland to build a robust prosecution case”.
Speaking after the hearing, HSENI Major Investigation Team Inspector Kiara Blackburn described the incident as “tragic and wholly preventable”.
"Employers must ensure that access to dangerous moving parts of equipment is prevented, and that suitable and sufficient risk assessments and isolation and lockout procedures are in place and followed where employees are required to carry out cleaning and maintenance tasks,” she said.
The investigation also found failings around the supervision of employees which led to unsafe practices that were not adequately managed by the company.
Mrs Blackburn continued: “Employers must ensure that employees are provided with adequate information, instruction and training in order to fulfil their jobs safely and that supervision is adequate to ensure such information, instruction and training is being implemented and followed by all.”
Following the tragic incident in April 2023, scores of messages of condolence were posted online, many referring to Mr Thomas as “a true gentleman”.
A Service of Thanksgiving for his life took place in Churchtown Presbyterian Church, Maghera, followed by burial in the adjoining churchyard.
Guidance on safe isolation and lockout procedures for the concrete industry can be found at: HSENI- Machinery guarding, safe isolation and maintenance.