Wood Company Fined £1m after Two Workers Injured

A MULTI-NATIONAL company that manufactures wood-based products has been fined more than £1 million after two workers were injured in separate incidents.

West Fraser (Europe) Ltd pleaded guilty to several health and safety breaches related to two incidents that took place at its plant in Cowie within six months of each other in 2020.

In the first Sean Gallagher, 29, a utility operator, suffered serious injuries after his leg became entangled in moving parts at the bottom of a storage bunker in January 2020.

In July of the same year, David McMillan, 39, a scaffolder, plunged more than 13 feet to the ground after a rusty plate gave way on a rooftop gantry.

Both incidents led to investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The same company was fined more than £2 million in 2022 after another employee died after suffering serious burns at the same plant.

Two Workers Injured

Stirling Sheriff Court heard that Sean Gallagher had been employed by the firm for a period of five years, the last two of which was spent working at its biomass plant. On 20 January, he noticed a fault on a bunker at the plant. He initially entered the bunker to carry out an inspection, and did so in accordance with the company’s safe system of work procedure.

However, when he identified further issues later into his shift, he entered the bunker again, but this time had not turned off the power. He became entangled in the machinery and had to use his own phone to alert a control room operator. He was eventually extracted from the machine and taken to hospital, with injuries including compound fractures to the tibia and fibula of his right leg.

As a result of the incident, the company installed a mesh guard across the bunker hatch, which is padlocked shut. It can only be unlocked by the supervisor once the system has been isolated.

The second incident happened on 21 July and resulted in David McMillan suffering multiple fractures to his body, including his neck and ankle. He had been working at height when a plate on the steel gantry gave way causing him to fall to the ground. He spent 20 days in hospital.

A HSE investigation found there was no maintenance schedule or system of checks for the gantry structure. The steel flooring to the gantry was found to have been corroded in places, while some of the welds holding the plates in place were at the point of failure. Following the incident, the gantry was immediately placed out of bounds before it was dismantled and removed from the site.

Wood Company Fined £1m

In relation to the first incident, West Fraser (Europe) Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to comply with regulations 11(1) and (2) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £28,000 at Stirling Sheriff Court on 17 February 2025.

For the second incident, West Fraser (Europe) Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to comply with sections 4(2) and 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £1,040,000 at Stirling Sheriff Court on 17 February 2025.

A spokesperson from West Fraser commented: “Continuous improvement is at the forefront of our safety culture, and we have taken steps to ensure all our employees and contractors on our sites have the training, knowledge, and equipment to get the job done safely.

“Sharing and incorporating learning from past safety incidents to prevent similar incidents is an equally important aspect of West Fraser’s safety programme. While these safety incidents occurred prior to West Fraser’s acquisition of Norbord in 2021, the integration of Norbord has given us the opportunity to improve our West Fraser safety program and culture. Everything we do begins with our commitment to health and safety with our people and those working at our sites.”

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