Firm fined £60k over crush death breaches

Douglas Courthouse heard Nathan Harvey was working for Pooil Vaaish Black Limestone Ltd

A firm has been fined £60,000 after a man died after being crushed by a large slab of granite.

Nathan Harvey, 30, was working at Pooil Vaaish Black Limestone Ltd’s site in Ballasalla on 21 June 2022 when the incident happened.

Douglas Courthouse heard ratchet straps holding the granite on a frame while it was lifted had not been in the correct position.

The company pleaded guilty to two health and safety breaches.

The court heard Mr Harvey and another man had been moving the block with the use of a forklift at about 08:25 BST, with straps holding the granite on to a wooden block secured in a horizontal position.

The court heard the system of work was not safe or in accordance with industry guidance, and an industry alert had been released in 2010 outlining the straps should be secured vertically.

The firm’s defence advocate said the company had not been aware of the alert and had never secured straps vertically.

Family dignity

The firm pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees, and failing as an employer to discharge its duty under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.

In a statement read to the court by the prosecution advocate, Mr Harvey’s mother said the former soldier from St John’s was a “wonderful human being” who had a “zest for life” and was “a joy to be around”.

“The day he left my world got very small,” she added.

Sentencing the firm Deemster Graeme Cook said loss of life was the “worst thing that can happen”, particularly when it involved a young man.

“People may well say £60,000 is not what a life is worth, it’s not,” he added.

Thanking Mr Harvey’s family and friends for their dignity, he said such cases were “never an easy time” for relatives.