A CONSTRUCTION company has been ordered to pay £200,000 after one of its workers was killed in Swindon in 2011.

Fredric March, 52, of Croydon, South London, was working at the site in Galton Way, Barnfield, when a piece of timber used as a cushion on the ends of the pipes being pushed in place by an excavator snapped.

He worked for Cappagh Contractors Construction, based in London, who had been contracted to lay iron sewerage pipes in a trench.

Mr March was one of three workmen in the trench when the incident occurred.

The sections of pipe were designed to slot together and the workmen used an excavator bucket to push them in place.

Two pieces of timber were used to cushion the ends of the pipes – one horizontally and one vertically, so the excavator could work around an existing horizontal strut on a trench box.

The horizontal piece of timber snapped while being pushed by the excavator and a broken piece hit Mr March on the head, leaving him with critical injuries.

He died six weeks later.

Cappagh had not given the workmen any guidance or alternative ways to carry out their work around the strut which was causing an obstruction.

They had been allowed to come-up with their own method which was inherently dangerous.

The company admitted breaching health and safety laws, although they had argued their employees had been given the correct training and the method was not the sole contributing factor to the death.

It pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and a breaching the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Cappagh has been fined £130,000 and ordered to pay £70,000 in costs.

The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive who prosecuted the company at Swindon Magistrates’ Court.

Speaking after the hearing yesterday, Sue Adsett, an inspector for the HSE, said: “This tragic loss of life could have been avoided if Cappagh had taken proper measures before the work started and planned the task properly.

“Pipe laying companies must have safe systems of work and ensure their workers don’t have to improvise safety measures.

“Employers have a duty to carry out thorough risk assessments and provide safe ways of working. Including the workforce in designing safe methods also makes it less likely that they will improvise when problems arise.”

No one from Cappagh was available to comment when the Adver went to press.