The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported 126 workplace fatalities across the UK in the last 12 months. In Scotland, several tragic cases highlight avoidable accidents that cost lives. Here are the stories of four men who died while working.
Colin Thwaites: Struck by Fan Blades at Mine
Colin Thwaites, 61, died on October 21, 2024, at Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited in the Highlands. The electrician and former coal miner was restoring power after Storm Ashleigh when he was struck by blades of a BORA fan. HSE found serious failings in the fan's modification, commissioning, and maintenance; the intake guard had missing mesh for some time. The company was fined £150,000 at Inverness Sheriff Court in June, plus a £11,250 victim surcharge. His widow Caroline said: "I was gobsmacked. How is that any kind of justice?" Kevin Wilson, HSE chief inspector of mines, called it a "tragic and entirely preventable death."
Steven Tervit: Ejected from Scissor Lift
Steven Tervit, 32, died on November 9, 2023, at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland in Renfrew. He was dismantling a cleanroom from a scissor lift at four metres high when wall panels fell, striking the platform and ejecting him. He suffered traumatic brain injury, rib fractures, lung contusions, and leg fractures, dying the next day. HSE found employer Food Process Engineering Limited failed to assess risks of dismantling a structure it didn't install; wall panels lacked lateral support. The firm was fined £50,000 at Paisley Sheriff Court.
Derek Caddie: Crushed by Excavation Wall Collapse
Derek Caddie, 44, died on November 25, 2019, in Glasgow when an excavation wall collapsed, trapping him neck-deep in soil. He died from serious injuries three days later. Carrig Construction Services admitted health and safety failings; HSE found no support for vertical walls and no risk identification. The company was fined £75,000. A family statement said: "Derek was a funny, hard-working and loving man – the manner of his sudden and avoidable death broke our hearts." They criticised nearly five years of delays in proceedings.
Ronnie Alexander: Froze to Death at Wind Farm
Ronnie Alexander, 74, died on January 22, 2018, at Afton wind farm near New Cumnock. The security guard became stranded in a severe snowstorm after his cabin generator failed, leaving him without heat or power. He left the cabin to find another with power but was found unresponsive nearly a mile away by Police Scotland's Mountain Rescue Team. He died from hypothermia. Employers CSM Facilities and site bosses Farrans Construction were fined £860,000. A Crown Office spokesman said: "Ronnie Alexander's death might have been prevented if appropriate measures for workers to call for help in an emergency had been in place." His daughter Laura said: "The only saving grace is rescuers found our dad and the hospital kept him alive long enough so he wasn’t alone at the very end and we got to say goodbye."
