Man killed at Viking site ‘full of hopes and dreams’, mother says
THE MOTHER of the 23-year-old man who died on the Viking wind farm construction site has said her son was “full of hopes and dreams”.
BAM Nuttall, who had employed Liam MacDonald, was fined £860,000 at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday for health and safety failings leading to his death.
MacDonald was killed on 5 June 2022 after being crushed while chipping dried concrete from the inside of a skip at the Upper Kergord site.
A bale arm fell and crushed the young man, from Tain, who had only started working at the site a month earlier.
His mother, Wendy Robson, said he was “missed beyond words”.
“Liam loved life, his family and friends. He was just at the start of his adult life, still finding who he was, and full of hopes and dreams,” she said.
“We have been robbed of having Liam here today, and in all our tomorrows, and in sharing those dreams with him.
“We will never meet the children he so wanted to have one day.
“We can’t adequately describe who Liam was, and what he means to us. We love and miss him beyond words.”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found BAM Nuttall had failed to properly secure the skip’s bale arm before falling.
It also found the company had failed to identify the risks of the arm falling, and had not put in a safe system of work for anyone cleaning the skip.
Investigating inspector for HSE, Jackie Randell, said this was a “tragic incident”.
“BAM Nuttall had failed in its duty to ensure the safety of their workforce,” she said.
“We thoroughly investigated this incident, with our findings identifying that BAM Nuttall had failed in its duty to ensure the safety of their workforce.
“This prosecution should serve as a reminder for all contractors to implement suitable risk assessments and safe systems of work.”
Keep Shetland’s news open to everyone
Your membership helps us report the stories that matter to Shetland — and keep them free for everyone to read.
