Safety improvements made following death of contractor in quarry incident

Tarmac Aggregates, a subsidiary of the Tarmac Group, was fined £1,275,000 by Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday, having admitted to two violations of the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Additionally, it was instructed to cover £200,00 in court costs.

Luke Branston, was employed as an external contractor when he became trapped between a feed hopper he was repairing and a conveyor at Mountsorrel Quarry in Leicestershire on June 21, 2017.

The Health and Safety Executive investigation revealed several problems at the quarry that played a role in his death, notably that the conveyor had not been isolated.

The company has now extended its condolences to his family and stated that it has taken corrective actions to address the factors that led to his tragic death.

In a statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for Tarmac said: “We acknowledge the impact of the tragic incident which occurred at Mountsorrel Quarry in 2017 and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Luke Branston. The safety of everyone at our sites is of the highest importance to Tarmac and is the primary focus at our operations every day.

“We have fully co-operated with the Health and Safety Executive throughout the investigation and have implemented a number of actions to prevent reoccurrence.”