Scots construction firm fined £75k after man tragically dies during excavation

A Scots construction firm has been fined £75,000 after a man tragically died during an 'avoidable' excavation incident in Glasgow.

Derek Caddie lost his life when part of the excavation wall collapsed on November 25, 2019. The 44-year-old was crushed due to being trapped in soil from the neck down before being rescued by the emergency services.

He died from his serous injuries in hospital three days later on November 28.

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On August 28 at Glasgow Sheriff Court Carrig Construction Services admitted health and safety failings that led to the death of Derek Caddie.

His family have said they are heartbroken by the loss and the "needless" delays in the outcome have only "worsened their trauma".

A family statement issued via Digby Brown said: “Derek was a funny, hard-working and loving man – the manner of his sudden and avoidable death broke our hearts and he remains dearly missed by us all.

“While it is right there is accountability and we welcome the conviction, the needless delays in this outcome have only worsened our trauma.

“We have waited nearly five years for these proceedings to come to an end and we still see no reasonable reason about why it has taken this long.

“If there are any positives to come from this then it will be that workplaces are made safer and the criminal system is improved to actually be mindful of the needs of bereaved families.”

Mr Caddie had entered the excavation with a colleague to repair damaged and leaking pipework, when the incident occurred. The colleague was left uninjured.

Carrig Construction Services Limited had been appointed as a contractor at the site on Belhaven Terrace West Lane where new houses were being built. Mr Caddie was working under the company’s control at the time of the incident.

An investigation by the Health and Saferty Executive (HSE) found the collapse was caused by a lack of support to the vertical walls of the excavation. Carrig Construction Services Limited, a company that specialises in groundworks and drainage works, failed to identify the risks from working in the excavation and did not ensure there were practicable steps in place to ensure workers were protected while inside the excavation.

On top of this, none of the workers under the control of Carrig Construction Services Limited had any formal training on working within excavations and were unaware of the risks involved.

Graeme McMinn, a principal inspector at HSE, said: “This was a tragic and wholly avoidable accident, caused by the failure of Carrig Construction Services Limited to put in place measures to control the risk of the sides of the excavation collapsing."

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