Coal company fined following four fatalities

A coal company is Nottinghamshire has been fined £1.2 million for safety breaches that led to the deaths of four workers at two separate collieries.

UK Coal Mining LTD was sentenced for four breaches of Section 2 (1) and three breaches of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in connection with the deaths of Trever Steeples, Paul Hunt, Anthony Garrigan and Paul Milners.

Mr Steeples was asphyxiated due to oxygen deprivation when exposed to high levels of methane, while Mr Hunt died in a work accident after falling from a poorly maintained underground transporter into the path of a moving train.

Mr Garrigan died after being crushed by inadequately supported coal and stone. Mr Milner was also crushed in a separate incident.

Bob Leeming, Health and Safety Executive mines inspector, commented: "Fewer than 4,000 people are employed in the UK mining sector, which makes four deaths within 18 months even more stark."

"All it would have taken to prevent these deaths was better management and proper hazard control," he continued.

Ensuring that proper risk assessment is carried out and safety measures are in place is vital in any workplace to protect employees from fatality and injury.

Published by Tessa Jones