FDL and Exterior fined £40k for fatality

Exterior International and Foundation Developments Ltd (FDL), based in Wallington, Surrey, were fined £20,000 each at Isleworth Crown Court, London, following the death of Mark Lewis on 26 February 1999 during the muck away operation at the Lakeshore site on Bedfont Road, Middlesex.

FDL had been hired by the principal contractor Exterior to remove 11,320m3 of material from the Lakeshore development at Bedfont Lakes, Middlesex. While leaving the site, the trucks used to remove the material were leaving deposits of clay on the road, which the road cleaner FDL used was unable to clean away.

Lewis was driving along Bedfont Road when his car skidded on mud from the site and crashed into an oncoming delivery van. He later died as a result of his injuries

The two firms pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, in that they failed to ensure persons not in their employment, including Mr Lewis, were not exposed to risks to their safety.

Exterior and FDL were also ordered to pay costs of £30,000.