…By Henry George for TDPel Media.
A salmon farming company has been fined £800,000 following a fatal accident at one of its sites in Scotland.
Clive Hendry died in February 2020 while transferring from a boat to a floating structure at Mowi Scotland’s Ardintoul fish farm in Loch Alsh.
The assistant fish farm manager was hit by the boat and a floating structure before slipping out of his lifejacket and drowning.
The company admitted health and safety breaches at Inverness Sheriff Court and must also pay a victim surcharge of £60,000.
The Crown Office’s health and safety lead, Debbie Carroll, said that had new risk assessments been in place at the time, Mr Hendry’s transfer would have taken place without incident.
Fatal accident details
On the day of the accident, Mr Hendry was preparing to board the sea cap as part of a “touch and go” transfer – where the boat would stop when one of its gates lined up with the platform’s ladder.
The vessel approached the sea cap’s starboard side at a speed of about half a knot with its engines in neutral.
The boat would then go into reverse to slow it to a stop, to allow Mr Hendry to step off onto the sea cap’s ladder.
While the vessel was still moving slowly ahead, Mr Hendry stepped through the gate, putting both hands and his right foot on the rungs of the sea cap’s ladder.
The boat’s skipper shouted in surprise as he did so and saw the boat hit Mr Hendry in the right side. As the boat was now reversing it also clipped him on the left side.
A technician on board the sea cap saw Mr Hendry struggling and distressed and having difficulty holding onto the Sea Cap’s ladder, attempted to stop him from falling by holding onto his lifejacket and clothing, but the severely injured man slipped out of them into the water.
Mr Hendry was submerged for about 20 seconds and pulled out of the water shortly after, but could not be saved.
Failures and improvements
An investigation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency found that the company had failed to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment or maintain systems of work for the health and safety of employees when transferring from a vessel to a structure such as the sea cap.
The firm also failed to provide workers with the necessary supervision to ensure lifejackets were properly tightened and secured.
Mr Hendry had not been given clear instructions on what to do when he arrived alongside the sea cap.
The Crown Office said that Mowi had not previously mandated the wearing of restraining straps and left it to the discretion of the wearer.
Since Mr Hendry’s death, their use has been made compulsory and a more effective design of lifejacket introduced.
The Beinn na Caillich and other similar vessels have been also modified to allow the wheelhouse windows to open and public address systems installed to allow better communication between the helm and the working deck.
Analysis and commentaries
This news highlights the importance of workplace safety, particularly in high-risk industries such as salmon farming.
The incident at Mowi Scotland’s Ardintoul fish farm underscores the necessity of proper risk assessments, safety protocols, and staff training.
The company’s failure to ensure its employees’ safety resulted in a tragic and avoidable loss of life, and the hefty fine serves as a warning to other companies to ensure that they are not similarly negligent.
The introduction of restraining straps and a more effective design of lifejacket is an example of how lessons can be learned from such accidents to improve safety measures.
It is crucial for companies to take the necessary steps to prevent accidents and fatalities in the workplace.