£1m penalty for gantry death firms

The gantry was left hanging from the bridge

Two firms have been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling more than £1m after four welders fell to their deaths from a motorway bridge near Bristol.

Yarm Road Ltd and Costain Ltd were each fined £250,000, and face costs of £525,000 between them.

Bristol Crown Court had heard of repeated safety shortcuts during work on the Avonmouth Bridge, on the M5.

The men died in September 1999 after plunging 80 ft when a gantry under the bridge collapsed in high winds.

They were Paul Stewart, 24, of Newcastle upon Tyne; Ronnie Hill, 39, of Glasgow; Jeff Williams, 42, of Newport, Gwent; and Andy Rodgers, 40, of Middlesbrough.

The men were working to strengthen the bridge

Costain and Yarm Road - formerly known as Kvaerner Cleveland Bridge Ltd - admitted breaching health and safety regulations at a hearing in July.

Mr Justice Owen had the power to impose unlimited fines for the breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Mr Philip Mott QC, prosecuting, told the court there had been "persistent and blatant breaches" of the law over a long period of time.

The court heard the gantry, suspended from the M5 motorway bridge while strengthening work was being carried out, was not properly attached.

High winds

The equipment was also being used in wind speeds above the safety limit.

A reconstruction of the accident showed the workmen were attempting to move the gantry when the accident happened.

Mr Mott said one of the restraining "turfers" had been loosened to allow the gantry to be moved along the bridge.

He said it was like a "curtain coming off the rails" and the workmen and their equipment were thrown to the ground.

Public hazard

Mr Mott said the two firms had been breaching health and safety law over a long period of time.

He said they were exposing their workmen to danger, as well as people travelling under the bridge, and those who lived or worked under it.

He said: "This was not a single fault on a single day."

The court was also told that sufficient risk assessment had not been carried out, with equipment left untested.

In addition, workmen and supervisors had not been given sufficient training.

Public apology

Wynn Williams QC, defending Yarm Road Ltd, said: "I have been instructed to apologise publicly for what has occurred."

He went on: "This is not a case where the defendants have literally had no regard whatsoever to whether there should be a proper system of work.

"The genuine attempt was made but it fell short of what was required."

Hugh Carlisle QC, defending Costain Ltd, said the company wished to express its regret.

"It would have been a simple matter to get this right, unhappily no-one realised what had to be done.

"It is not a case of deliberate disregard of safety."

Mr Justice Owen said the case was one of "considerable gravity and some complexity".