Farmers fined following death of 13 year old boy

A farming firm has been fined £13,500 following the death of a 13-year-old boy who fell through the roof of an agricultural building.

The fatal accident happened in August 2006 at Inverlochy Farm, Tomintoul which is run by John Irvine and Son. The boy was the stepson of one of the firm's partners and had been raised up onto the roof in the bucket of a tractor because he wanted to watch the guttering between the cattle shed and feed passage roofs being cleared. He walked out onto the roof and fell 13ft onto the concrete floor below when the corrugated asbestos cement sheeting that formed the roof gave way.  He sustained serious head injuries and later died in hospital.

The firm pleaded guilty at Elgin Sheriff Court to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that no proper measures had been put in place to prevent falls from the roof.  An HSE inspector commented that it was a tragedy that could have been prevented had John Irvine and Son carried out a proper risk assessment.

A recent study by HSE found that agriculture and farming is the country's most dangerous job, with more fatalities than any other industry.

Thompsons  have years of experience in assisting the families’ of fatal accident victims.  We understand the first and most important thing that a family need and demand is answers!  Without answers as to what happened and why it happened they cannot move on with their lives, they need to know that no other family will be affected as they have been by the loss of a loved one.

Contact our specialist accident compensation lawyers today on 0800 0891331 and we will help you obtain the answers to your questions.  Our No Win No Fee policy means that we take care of the financial burden of legal action at an already stressful time for clients.