Fife firm fined £15,000 over fatal lorry accident

COURT: Mechanic Ian Bratchie died after being crushed under vehicle at yard

A Fife firm has been fined £15,000 following the death of an employee crushed under the wheels of a lorry.

Robert Purvis Plant Hire was convicted of breaching health and safety legislation last month, after the death of Ian Bratchie.

Mr Bratchie, 50, who worked in the mechanics’ workshop of the yard in Lochgelly, was underneath an HGV when a colleague attempted to drive it away, unaware he was there on September 3 2015.

The company was convicted by a jury at Dunfermline Sheriff Court of failing to make suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk of vehicles under maintenance being driven away at its premises in Cartmore Industrial Estate between April 2 2012 and September 4 2015.

A charge alleging it had failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees was not proven.

Sheriff Christopher Shead said Mr Bratchie was clearly “a well-liked and valued colleague” and the level of fine imposed would obviously be of interest to his family and friends.

However, he stressed no causal link had been made between the company’s failure and Mr Bratchie’s death.

He said: “The court has to pay very clear attention to the charge of which the company was convicted.”

Advocate Susan Duff, defending, stressed jurors had not found that the actions of the company had caused Mr Bratchie’s death and said the risk had been assessed but not written down in a document.

She said: “This is a family company that spends a lot of money on health and safety and, as your Lordship heard in the course of evidence, does not stint on training to ensure the health and safety of its employees.”

The family of Mr Bratchie, a grandfather from Lochgelly, said they would never get over the loss but hoped lessons would be learned from the tragedy.

A statement released by their lawyers, Digby Brown Solicitors, said: “We are relieved this court case has finally come to an end after having to endure this long and distressing process.

“Nothing can bring back Ian and that pain will never cease.

“But at least we now have a sense of justice and we hope lessons can be learned so no other family has to suffer like we have.”

The court previously heard driver, Mark Elder, 40, had left his vehicle for repair in a parking area away from the workshop as it was busy.

When he returned later that day he saw it had not been moved and was blocking the way for returning tipper lorries.

He went to shift it and “felt a bump”. When he saw Mr Bratchie in his mirror he realised immediately he was dead.

Robert Purvis Plant Hire was convicted of breaching health and safety laws following Mr Bratchie’s death.