Mowlem ordered to pay £20k for site death at Bath Spa

The former contractor on the Bath Spa project has been ordered to pay a total of £20,000 after an investigation sparked by the death of one of its workers at the site.

Carpenter John Cox, who was an employee of Mowlem, suffered serious head injuries while working on one of the spa buildings in May 2003 and died in hospital two weeks later.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Mowlem had failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its staff by having no safety system in place for carrying out repairs on the roof of the Cross Bath.

At Bath Magistrates Court last week, Mowlem was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 costs after admitting breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The accident happened while Cox had been checking some newly installed ventilation grilles on the roof of the Cross Bath. He was found by a colleague looking "dazed and disoriented" with serious head injuries near the foot of a ladder he had been using.

An earlier inquest at a local coroner’s court had already ruled an accidental death verdict.

A statement from Mowlem said that the company had accepted the sentence. "We would underline, however, that the HSE has accepted that the breach was in no way either the cause of or a contributory factor in the unfortunate death of John Cox.

"The sentence of the court in imposing a relatively light fine of £8,000 reflects the magistrates' acceptance of the very strong mitigation put forward by Mowlem and the absence of any aggravating features in the case."

The victim’s family is currently seeking legal advice over a possible civil action.