UK Coal Mining Limited was convicted and sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 14 December of offences under sections 2 and 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 that led to the death of four mine workers at their Daw Mill and Welbeck colleries

UK Coal, who pleaded guilty to all seven offences at an earlier hearing, was fined £112,500 in connection with each of the four fatalities and in addition had to pay costs of £187,500 in each case. Fines and costs amounted to £1.2 million.

This case arose from the following fatal injuries:

Supervisor Trevor Steeples died of asphyxiation due to oxygen deprivation in June 2006 at Daw Mill colliery.

Mineworker Paul Hunt died as a result of being hit by an underground train at Daw Mill colliery in August 2006.

Mineworker Anthony Garrigan was crushed to death following a roof collapse at Daw Mill colliery in January 2007.

Mineworker Paul Milner also died as a result of a roof collapse in November 2007 at Welbeck colliery.

After the hearing HSE Mines Inspector Bob Leeming commented, “Fewer than 4,000 people are employed in the UK mining sector, which makes four deaths within 18 months even more stark. These tragic incidents follow a four and a half year period where there were no deaths in the whole UK mining industry.”

Neal Stone, director of policy and communications at the British Safety Council said, “Our condolences go the families, friends and workmates of Trevor Steeples, Paul Hunt, Anthony Garrigan and Paul Milner. Our thoughts are with them at this time. These tragic and preventable deaths bring home the consequences of inadequate risk management. As HSE noted after sentencing the mining industry had not witnessed any fatal injuries in the previous four and a half years.

“Within the space of eighteen months four workers had died in an industry employing 4,000. The deaths of Trevor Steeples, Paul Hunt, Anthony Garrigan and Paul Milner are a stark reminder of the vital importance of leadership, active workforce involvement and people with the necessary competence to ensure that the risks of workplace injury and work-related ill health occurrences are properly managed.

Article created by Editor. (info@complyuk.co.uk)