Carillion, one of the UK's leading support services and construction companies, has been fined £70,000 and ordered to pay £24,000 in costs following the death of an employee at a construction site on the Isle of Grain, in Kent, on 11 December 2003.

Alexander McCully from Motherwell had worked at the Air BP Ltd site for 14 weeks building large steel oil storage tanks. On the day of his death he was altering work platforms to allow a roof structure to be lifted into place by four cranes. Mr McCully was standing on a platform on the outside of the tank close to the top, ready to rebuild an internal scaffold platform. As he climbed onto the incomplete platform on the inside of the tank, one of the three platform boards snapped and he fell 17 metres to the floor below. He died as a result of his injuries.

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HSE Inspector John Underwood said: "This was a wholly avoidable incident which led to unnecessary loss of life. I hope this case and the fine imposed will serve as a lesson to scaffold builders and the tank building industry, and will make sure others avoid a similar fate. Mr McCully was wearing a safety harness, in line with company policy, but there was no suitable anchor point for him to attach the lanyard to."

Carillion, formerly known as Mowlem, pleaded guilty at a hearing in May 2007.

(CD/JM)