An experienced electrician lost his life after being struck by the blades of a mine fan at an underground quarry in the Scottish Highlands. Colin Thwaites, 61, died on October 21, 2024, while working at Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited's underground mine on the Morvern Peninsula.
Incident Details
Mr Thwaites arrived for his day shift to help restore power following damage caused by Storm Ashleigh. He was working alongside an apprentice to disconnect a communications cable near one of the mine's BORA fans when the incident occurred. His colleague later found him trapped in the fan, having suffered fatal injuries.
Health and Safety Investigation
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed that Mr Thwaites was struck by the blades of a fan that was not sufficiently well guarded. An investigation uncovered a series of serious failings in how the fan had been modified, commissioned, and maintained. When inspectors examined the fan the day after the incident, the intake guard was found to be in a seriously degraded condition. Significant areas of mesh were missing, particularly around the fan's impeller hub. Wire and mesh pieces recovered from the floor showed heavy corrosion on their broken ends, indicating they had been in that condition for some time and were not freshly broken during the incident.
Legal Outcome
Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited later pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches. At Inverness Sheriff Court on Tuesday, the company was fined £150,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £11,250.
Statement from HSE
Kevin Wilson, HSE's chief inspector of mines and quarries, said: “This was a tragic and entirely preventable death. Colin Thwaites was a highly-experienced mining professional with decades of service. He should have gone home to his family that day. Our investigation found that when the fan was modified, the risks were not identified. The guarding that was put in place was inadequate from the outset and its deteriorating condition went unnoticed because there was no proper maintenance regime in place. Mine operators have clear legal duties to ensure equipment is safely commissioned and maintained. Where those duties are not met, the consequences can be fatal.”
