Tragic Accident Spurs Massive Fine: Construction Firm Pays £800,000 for Glasgow Boy’s Preventable Death
The avoidable death of a 10-year-old boy in Glasgow has resulted in a substantial fine for a construction company. Shea Ryan fell over six meters into an open manhole while playing with friends at a construction site in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in July 2020.
Shea and his friends gained access to the site through an unsecured fence. The incident could have been averted, and now RJ McLeod (Contractors) Ltd has been fined £800,000 and ordered to pay a £60,000 victim surcharge for breaching health and safety laws.
Joanne Ferguson, Shea’s mother, expressed her relief at the company’s admission of guilt in a statement released through Digby Brown, a legal firm. She highlighted the devastating impact of the accident on her family and emphasized the importance of site safety.
The court learned that the construction site was part of a Glasgow City Council surface water management project. However, RJ McLeod had no formal written system for monitoring damage to its perimeter fencing, leaving them unable to assess ongoing risk accurately.
Debbie Carroll, head of health and safety investigations at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, stated that Shea’s death could have been prevented with appropriate risk management measures. She further emphasized the need for duty holders to implement effective measures to prevent fatal consequences.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Shea’s death will take place at a later date, aiming to disseminate any learnings to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Following the tragic event, RJ McLeod (Contractors) Ltd has implemented enhanced safety measures, including new risk assessments, double-line fencing, increased triangulation of fencing, and formal written reporting of daily and weekend fence checks. Additionally, they have installed CCTV with motion sensors and secured manhole covers with ballast bags.
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