An Ormskirk-based company has been fined after a father died when he fell into a fan while working in a mine. Colin Thwaites, 61, an experienced electrician, was working at Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited's underground mine on the Morvern Peninsula in Scotland on October 21, 2024.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Mr. Thwaites was struck by the blades of a fan that was not sufficiently well-guarded. He had arrived for his day shift to help restore power following damage caused by Storm Ashleigh.
While working alongside an apprentice to disconnect a communications cable near one of the mine's BORA fans, the incident occurred. A colleague later found him trapped in the fan with fatal injuries.
Serious Failings Found
An HSE investigation found 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, and 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.
Had the guard been properly designed and maintained, the HSE said it is likely the fatal incident would have been prevented.
Court Hearing
Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited, of European Technical Centre, Hall Lane, Lathom, in Ormskirk, pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) and section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £150,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £11,250 at Inverness Sheriff Court on Tuesday, June 16.
Family's Reaction
Following the court result, Mr. Thwaites' wife, Caroline Thwaites, told the Press and Journal how the couple had moved to the Western Highlands around a decade ago. She said: "I feel like I’ve been robbed of a life. I feel like my children have been robbed of a father and my grandkids have been robbed of a grandfather."
She added: "When Colin died, the community response was very touching. The lining of the street when he died - that happened on a difficult day, but I was overwhelmed with the support I received from neighbours."
A spokesperson for Morvern Community Council said the community was "in shock", with people encouraged to line the streets of the village as Mr. Thwaites was lifted from the mine.
HSE Statement
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."
