Firm fined £300k after worker crushed by concrete

A construction company has been fined £300,000 after a kitchen fitter was crushed to death by concrete blocks.

Martin Dunford, 33, from Pocklington, Yorkshire, was pinned against a lorry loader on a building site near Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, causing severe head and internal injuries.

Piper Homes Construction was handed the fine at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the Nottingham-based firm had failed to ensure that a delivery area was clear of people.

Mr Dunford's sister, Tracey Hunter, said: "Martin went to work and never came home. His life was unjustly cut short."

Mr Dunford was working at Ebrington Rise housing site in January 2020 when he walked around a lorry loader to talk to the driver, the HSE investigation found.

During the conversation, according to the investigation, two packs of concrete blocks, which were being supported by a wooden pallet and had been stacked one on top of the other, toppled onto him, pinning him against the side of the lorry. Mr Dunford died on site.

The HSE found that Piper Homes Construction, which is based in Lace Market Square, Nottingham, had failed to ensure a suitable and level storage area was provided for the safe offloading of construction materials.

It was also found to have failed to ensure wooden pallets were in a suitable condition.

Ms Hunter said: "Little did he know on that date that he was going to work on a site that had ongoing issues and was not following HSE guidelines for working safely on a construction site.

"Martin was very much loved by his family and friends. He is missed every day and nothing can ever fill the hole that is left by him no longer being here."

She said the HSE verdict was "the start of some sense of justice towards his senseless death".

HSE inspector James Lucas said: "This was an entirely avoidable incident and our thoughts remain with Martin's family."

He said that, had the company properly planned and managed the storage of construction materials and inspected the condition of the wooden pallets, Mr Dunford's death could have been prevented.

"Had this been done on this particular site, Martin would have returned home safely to his family," he said.

The company, which is in liquidation, was also ordered to pay £5,236 in costs at a hearing on Tuesday.