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PHW · Machinery · 2026-06-16

Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited fined £150,000 after an electrician was fatally struck by fan blades

Lathom, Ormskirk, Lancashire · Inverness Sheriff Court

What happened

An experienced electrician was struck by fan blades while disconnecting a communications cable near a ventilation fan at an underground mine. The fan had been modified years earlier, leaving the blades only 43mm from the intake guard instead of the required 200mm minimum.

Injuries: Fatal

The breach

Section 2(1) and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The sentence

  • Fine: £150,000
HSE inspector

“This was a tragic and entirely preventable death. He should have gone home to his family that day.”

What would have prevented it

Any modification to guarded machinery must be assessed to ensure guarding still meets the required safe clearance.

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Source: HSE press release, Mining company fined after electrician killed at Europe's only underground quartz sand mine