FP McCann fined £110k after falling stone killed man

FP McCann Limited, a company specializing in quarrying and construction, has been ordered to pay a fine of £110,000 following the death of a subcontractor at one of its sites. The firm admitted to a single health and safety violation during proceedings held at Antrim Crown Court on Friday. This case arose after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) into a fatal accident.

The contractor who lost his life, William Houston, was injured on 23 April 2023 at FP McCann’s Loughside Quarry located in Larne, County Antrim. Mr. Houston was struck by a large stone that fell while he was working on site. He was taken to hospital but later succumbed to the injuries he sustained from the incident. The inquiry revealed that this tragic accident took place as part of routine operations on the quarry site.

On the day of the accident, William Houston was operating a dumper truck, tasked with transporting stone from the cone crushing plant to stockpiles. Around midday, a blockage occurred at the cone crushing plant due to a large stone weighing roughly 45 kilograms (seven stones). The plant was shut down to address the issue, and workers manually removed the stone, carrying it to a raised conveyor catwalk about 4.5 meters (15 feet) above the ground. Unfortunately, the stone slipped through the railings of the catwalk and fell, hitting Mr. Houston below.

Sophie Pearson, representing HSENI, described the event as a “tragic incident” and emphasized the responsibility of employers to ensure safety measures are in place to prevent objects from falling from height. She stated, “Employers must take adequate measures to prevent materials or objects falling from height,” and added, “They must stop and consider what risks are involved in the task and take the necessary action, so that harm does not occur to employees or as in this tragic incident, to someone like Mr Houston who was subcontracted to work at the site.” Pearson also highlighted that if preventing falling objects is not possible, “a simple solution such as an exclusion zone” should be established to protect workers on site

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